The 52-year-old had led the Blades to seventh place – just two points behind Manchester United in fifth – when the season was halted on Friday due to the coronavirus outbreak. But what about his predecessors in the 21st century? How do they compare against the record of arguably United’s greatest ever manager?
Click through our images to find out.
1. Neil Warnock, December 1999 to June 2007
Warnock was appointed as manager of his boyhood club in December 1999. He guided the Blades to the semi-finals of the FA and League cups in 2003, losing to Arsenal and Liverpool respectively. During the same season he led United to the Division One play-off final where his side were beaten 3–0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Millennium Stadium. Warnock did steer United to promotion in 2006 but defeat to Wigan on the final day of the season the following year saw his side drop back to the second tier. He quit in June 2007. He had a 42.53 win percentage, having won 165 of his 388 games. Photo: Ian Walton
2. Bryan Robson, May 2007 to February 2008
Former Manchester United captain Robson lasted only nine months in the Bramall Lane hotseat. He was relieved of his duties on Valentine's Day 2008 after turning down another role with the club following a disappointing run of results in the Championship. He won just 14 of his 38 matches in charge, leaving with a 36.84 per cent win record. Photo: Mark Thompson
3. Kevin Blackwell, February 2008 to August 2010
The highlight of Blackwell's tenure came in the season when he took United to the Championship play-off final at Wembley, but lost the game 1–0 against Burnley.
He left the club by mutual consent after losing 3-0 to Queens Park Rangers in August 2010.
His win percentage was 42.4 having won 53 of his 125 matches. Photo: Laurence Griffiths
4. Gary Speed, August 2010 to December 2010
Having replaced Kevin Blackwell in the summer of 2010, the late Gary Speed was only in charge for four months at Bramall Lane. Speed was confirmed as the new Welsh national team manager in December 2010 succeeding John Toshack. He won six of his 18 games at the Lane, with a 33.33 win percentage. Photo: Michael Regan