Leeds United boss has told Sheffield United how 'important' Jamie Shackleton will be as transfer confirmed

Sheffield United confirmed the arrival of Jamie Shackleton on Thursday and his importance to a promotion-chasing Championship squad has already been outlined.

Shackleton has become United’s first signing of the summer after rejecting the offer of a new contract at boyhood club Leeds, where he has spent the last 17 years. The 24-year-old had been a regular in the matchday squad at Elland Road but started just seven league games and is at a point in his career where more consistent football is needed.

That offer of more regular action has come from Bramall Lane, with Shackleton signing a three-year deal after undergoing his medical earlier this week. The versatile player would label himself a central midfielder but can operate comfortably at right-back and even fill in at left-back, such is his adaptability.

And it is his versatility that made Shackleton a valued member at Leeds, despite the lack of football as part of a star-studded promotion-chasing outfit. Such was his importance that Whites manager Daniel Farke was keen to single him out for praise during the season.

“I really love Jamie. He's, sometimes, really underrated because he can play all positions,” Farke said last season. “Wherever he plays, he's always reliable, always solid, always a good team-mate, gives us everything. Sometimes, even a bit of his problem [is] he has to play so many different roles instead of coming into rhythm in one role, but he proved again tonight he is an unbelievably important piece of our squad and I'm really, really happy to have him, definitely.”

For a team like United, Shackleton’s versatility could prove his biggest contribution. Since relegation to the Championship was confirmed, Chris Wilder has waved goodbye to 13 players, which will soon become 14 when Cameron Archer returns to Aston Villa. No one had come the other way until Thursday’s arrival and Shackleton is now summer signing number one.

Wilder looks set to work with a relatively thin squad next season - at least compared to the previous campaign - but a 46-game Championship slog requires dependable options. Shackleton was able to show that during a loan spell with Millwall in which he played 36 league games during the 2022/23 season, while previous campaigns at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa are evidence he can cope with the physical demands.

United’s transfer business has been hampered by the ongoing takeover situation at Bramall Lane but it is hoped the imminent arrival of Shackleton can kick into gear a strong summer. There are just over five weeks left before the Blades begin their 2024/25 Championship season at Preston North End, and Wilder will hope for more arrivals before then.

But a move for Shackleton, for whom United won’t even have to pay compensation due to him being over 24-years-old, is a strong start and he departs a Leeds side who know all too well how important he can be to a long and gruelling Championship promotion push.