Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder breaks his silence on John Lundstram's contract situation - "Cards on the table, I think he should have signed"

Sheffield United will invite offers for John Lundstram during the January transfer window, manager Chris Wilder has confirmed, after admitting he faces a “hard” choice about whether to continue selecting the midfielder following his decision to reject the club’s latest contract offer.
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The Star exclusively revealed earlier this week that Lundstram has been told he can leave Bramall Lane before his present deal expires at the end of the season, with Wilder now publicly acknowledging both the 26-year-old and his agent “don’t want to sign” the “very attractive” proposal which has been tabled.

The situation has prompted Wilder to instruct United’s board of directors to circulate Lundstram’s name to rival clubs and, as his team prepares for Saturday’s game against Manchester City, contemplate leaving a player who has started all of their Premier League games so far this term out of the first choice eleven.

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Acknowledging the situation has been “very frustrating for myself personally”, Wilder said: “I want John to stop. It’s not a situation I have had often, because players here don’t always go into the final year. We have offered John a very attractive contract, and him and his agent don’t want to sign it.

“That’s fair enough, I respect that. There are three scenarios - he runs it down, which isn’t ideal for us, we try to recoup some value in the January window, which is the best option for us or he signs that new and improved contract. He won’t sign that contract.

“We’ll invite offers for a very good player,” Wilder continued, noting how several of Lundstram’s colleagues have reached agreement with United in recent months. “I’ll move on, I’ll not think too much about it. I’ve got to concentrate on players who want to commit and sign here, like (John) Fleck, (Oliver) Norwood, (Billy) Sharp, (Chris) Basham and (John) Egan. We feel it’s a very good offer and there’s always two sides to it. John and his agent feel they maybe want to negotiate elsewhere.”

With Fleck still nursing a back injury, Wilder accepts United could have little choice but to continue picking Lundstram until the Scot returns. Although he professed to being bemused as to why the package presented to Lundstram and his agent is not acceptable to either - sources close to the negotiation process, which has been ongoing for more than 12 months, claim it would make the Liverpudlian one of the highest paid players on United’s books - Wilder attempted to stave off any criticism of the player should he face City and forthcoming opponents Chelsea.

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Lys Mousset and Jack O’Connell will also miss the meeting with Pep Guardiola’s side, but Max Lowe could return after recovering from concussion.

John Lundstram can leave Sheffield United in January, says manager Chris Wilder: Peter Powell/PA Wire.John Lundstram can leave Sheffield United in January, says manager Chris Wilder: Peter Powell/PA Wire.
John Lundstram can leave Sheffield United in January, says manager Chris Wilder: Peter Powell/PA Wire.

“Does he play? I’ve got to make that decision, with a short, medium and long term view,” Wilder said. “I believe if John does play, he will do his best. I wouldn’t pick him if he wasn’t in the right frame of mind. But I’ve got to think quite hard with it. Cards on the table, I think John should have signed it, but he doesn’t.”

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