Billy Sharp doubles down on post-retirement plan after sharing Sheffield United dream
Sheffield United icon Billy Sharp is dreaming of a career in coaching and management following the end of his playing career.
Former Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp has reiterated his interest in pursuing a career in coaching and, eventually, management following the end of his playing career.
Sharp, 40, announced his retirement earlier this month after an outstanding 22-year playing career in which he scored 299 goals. He had been without a club since leaving Doncaster Rovers at the end of last season.
The former United captain scored a hat-trick on the final day of last season to take his career goal tally to 299, meaning that it was widely expected that he would continue playing in a bid to reach the 300-goal milestone.
However, following Doncaster’s decision not to offer him a new contract, Sharp, who rejoined Rovers in 2024, recently decided to hang up his boots, bringing an end to an outstanding playing career.
The United icon recently revealed that he was approached by Blades boss Chris Wilder last year about taking on a coaching role at Bramall Lane, but the move failed to materialise. Having previously expressed a keen interest in pursuing a career in coaching, Sharp has reaffirmed his ambition to enter the world of coaching and eventually become a manager.
"I've had a plan for ten to 12 years where I was getting my coaching badges and done my LMA [League Managers' Association] football management diploma," Sharp told BBC Radio 5 live's 72+ podcast. "Coaching is something that I do want to get my hands tied into and the end goal would be to hopefully be a manager.
"Going into clubs and using my contacts is something that I'm going to do. I'm quite enjoying my time off with family and the punditry side of things which I think is helping me watch a lot of football and meeting new people and seeing a lot of people I know.
"To be in football still is something I've very passionate about."
In a separate interview, Sharp recently admitted that he would love to one day follow in Wilder’s footsteps and become United boss.
“I’m not going to hide away from it, I’d love to be the Sheffield United manager one day,” Sharp admitted. “But I know that I’ve got an incredible amount of work to do before I get to that and before I would like to do that as well.
“I’m not shying away from hard work. I know I’ve got to go and put the hard yards in, which I love. I’m passionate about football and I will do that. I’ve been planning this for 12 years, where I’ve been getting my coaching badges. The next one on my list is the pro licence.”