Former Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur striker urges Sheffield United to stick with Chris Wilder

United suffered a 10th defeat in their opening 11 top flight games yesterday when they were beaten 2-1 by Leicester City at Bramall Lane – a game they had looked set to draw until Jamie Vardy’s 90th minute winner for the Foxes.

The loss leaves Wilder’s side, who have made the worst start to a season by any club in Premier League history, at the bottom of the table with just a point to their name.

Wilder, who guided the Blades to an impressive ninth place in their first season back in the top tier after an 12-year absence last season, pulled no punches when he spoke to the media after the game, saying ‘we're in this position for a reason’.

And Crouch, who was a member of the Stoke City team relegated from the Premier League in 2018, says that although the situation looks ‘desperate’ for United at the moment, he believes it would be harsh if the Bramall Lane outfit dismissed Wilder now.

"I can remember clearly his name being linked to Arsenal and Everton around this time (last season), because things had started so well,” said Crouch, writing in the Daily Mail.

“Sadly, this is the industry we are in and Wilder must live with this scrutiny. He should, at the very least, be given until the end of the season and things can be reassessed then, but it would be so harsh if Sheffield United were to act now.

"I felt for Wilder on Sunday when Leicester scored at the death. It reminded me of the year Stoke were relegated.

"You get into this rut where you know, even if you are winning 1-0 or 2-0, it is never going to be enough and, as soon as the opposition pull a goal back, panic sets in.

“The table looks desperate at the moment and it is a long way to Fulham in 17th.

"I still believe they are capable of putting a sequence together that will get them back into the dogfight, but it has to happen immediately. The whole club needs a lift.”