Sheffield United accounts: The key takeaways from Bramall Lane's latest set of financial figures

The figures, covering the 12 month period ending on June 30 last year, also revealed Bramall Lane’s highest paid director received a salary of £122,666 compared to £111,111 the year before.

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Other notable sections of the financial report, published today, revealed a drop in turnover from £143m to £115m and also a significant drop in profit (£9.6m compared to £17.6m).

Despite finishing ninth after being promoted in 2019, United were relegated from the top-flight last term after parting company with manager Chris Wilder midway through what proved a difficult campaign on and off the pitch at Bramall Lane.

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United, who attribute the fall in their salary costs to the fact no retention bonuses were payable, documented a £9m loss of revenue due to Covid-19 related closures. They claimed back £149,000 of that from government schemes to protect jobs during the pandemic while a £2.5m insurance payment was also received to cover problems caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

In addition, interest payments rose by £1.7m to £2.5m as a result of an additional £30m worth of bank loans being taken out.

The accounts, which detail a significant rise in lease and hire purchase contracts, do not cover the timeframe which saw Wilder’s successor, Slavisa Jokanovic, hired and then fired by United following a difficult start to the present campaign.

He was replaced by Paul Heckingbottom, who completed a spell in caretaker charge following Wilder’s exit and has since led them to fifth in the Championship.