Sheffield United: Paul Heckingbottom linked with swift return to management as Blades sacking confirmed

Paul Heckingbottom is being tipped for a swift return to management, with the sacked Sheffield United boss the current frontrunner to take over at Championship side Sunderland.

Heckingbottom's departure from Bramall Lane was confirmed on Tuesday following last weekend's 5-0 hammering at Premier League relegation rivals Burnley. Heckingbottom led the Blades back into the Premier League as they clinched the second Championship automatic promotion spot last term but back-to-back losses against Bournemouth and Burnley have forced the hand of the club's hierarchy, with Chris Wilder returning to Bramall Lane ahead of Wednesday's Premier League clash with Liverpool.

Prince Abdullah said of Heckingbottom's departure: "I really have a lot of respect for Paul and everything he did for the club, he’s a very classy guy. I’ve been at the club for five years and we changed one manager and that was Slav [Slavisa Jokanovic], so we believe in sticking with the manager and supporting him. But I felt like after the last few games it was a necessary decision and the replacement has done great things for the clubs and knows the club, so I feel good about the decision in one way but I really have a tremendous respect for Paul."

Despite a tough start to the Premier League season, Heckingbottom has an impressive record at the Blades. The former Leeds United manager led Sheffield United to the play-offs in the 2021-22 season, after joining in November 2021 with the Blades languishing in the bottom half of the Championship. He won 49 of his 98 games in charge at Sheffield United, losing 31 and drawing 18. Heckingbottom may not be out of management for long as he is the leading name to take over at the Stadium of Light following the sacking of Tony Mowbray on Monday night.

Steven Schumacher, Julien Sablé and John Eustace are some of the other names linked as the Black Cats begin their search for a new manager, and Heckingbottom's impressive record in the Championship with the Blades could work in his favour if he wants to take on the Stadium of Light vacancy.

Speaking about the decision to part ways with Mowbray, Sunderland's sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman commented: “All at SAFC have thoroughly enjoyed working with Tony and he is quite rightly held in high regard by our players and staff, and our supporters. After arriving at an uncertain time, he helped guide us to the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs and played an important role in developing our team. This was a difficult decision to make, but we remain loyal to our ambition and our strategy, and felt that now was the right moment to take this step. We are now focused on identifying the right candidate and we will continue to support our coaching team and players throughout the interim period.”

Chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus added: “I would like to place on record my gratitude to Tony for his hard work and commitment to Sunderland, a place where he will always be welcome. As custodians of our great club, we believe in our long-term strategy that we hope will ensure sustainability and success for SAFC. Central to that approach is a relentless demand for a high performance culture to be implemented throughout the Club and the development of a strong playing identity that you, our loyal supporters, can all be proud of.

“Your continued support will also be fundamental to that progress and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Stadium of Light throughout the festive period and as we enter 2024.”