Paul Heckingbottom speaks out about Billy Sharp's Sheffield United return request after coy answer

Paul Heckingbottom has confirmed former Sheffield United skipper Billy Sharp wants to return to his former club to keep up fitness ahead of the next stage of his career - but was tightlipped about whether the request will be granted. Sharp, 37, is a free agent after LA Galaxy declined to take up the option to keep him for another season.

The Blades legend has since returned to England ahead of the next stage of his career, with Sharp keen to prolong his playing career. He is one goal shy of 250 in the English leagues and believes he can add to his record tally in the Championship with his next move.

Despite expressing his dissatisfaction at how his time at Bramall Lane came to an end, appearing to question boss Paul Heckingbottom's "authority" on a recent appearance on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Sharp made a request to his boyhood club to be able to train and retain his sharpness ahead of his next move.

Sharp himself conceded that the prospect appeared unlikely and speaking ahead of Saturday's trip to Burnley, Heckingbottom confirmed he has held recent conversations with his former skipper. "I'm in contact with Bill a bit; when he was out there [in LA] before," Heckingbottom said. "He's still looking for a football club, he wants to keep playing and obviously January's the time ... if he's going to play over here he wants to keep fit and tick over. I have spoken to him about it, yeah."

Asked if he would be allowing that, Heckingbottom said coyly: 'You'll have to wait and see'."

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Speaking on the podcast with hosts Sam Allardyce and Natalie Pike, Sharp said recently: "I spoke to [Heckingbottom] a few days ago. He said again that he'd love to have me back but that's not an option. I don't know why. But listen, that's gone. I asked to go in and train, just to keep my fitness up for the next move that hopefully I make soon.

"You can't replicate football training every day, I can do all the running and sprinting I want but training with the lads is different. I won't be going back as a player, even though I’d love to. My wife would hate me if I did, she wouldn’t want me to go back for the way [his departure] got dealt with.

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"But I’m Sheff United through and through and if they needed me then I’d be there whenever they wanted me. But that’s not going to happen I just wanted to go in and train, keep my fitness up ready to go again. I’m still waiting to hear back but it doesn’t look like it so I’ll just keep grinding away, keeping my fitness up and hopefully, something happens in the future."

Speaking about his summer release, Sharp claimed that Heckingbottom was putting "all the blame on above [the board]" for the decision to release him. "I said to him: 'If you have got the authority, show it and tell them you want your captain here,'" Sharp added. "I think it's a case of the people above at the minute, they didn't want me there. It was a sad time, it hurt and it took me a while to get over it. Some parts of me still want to be out there on the pitch for Sheffield United."