Chris Basham reveals why Sheffield United have appointed Chris Wilder to replace Ruben Selles | OneFootball

Chris Wilder has been chosen as Ruben Selles' successor at Sheffield United

Chris Basham has explained why Chris Wilder is needed at Sheffield United following confirmation of his return to the team.

The 57-year-old is back for a third stint as manager just months after his second tenure in charge ended, having left the club after their defeat to Sunderland in the play-off final last May.

He has replaced Ruben Selles in the dugout after just five league games in the new season, with the team sitting bottom of the table on zero points.

A 5-0 loss to Ipswich Town last Friday proved the final straw for the Blades, with the owners hoping Wilder can turn things around and push the team back towards a promotion challenge.

Chris Basham highlights Chris Wilder strengths after Sheffield United return

Basham has claimed that Wilder will bring some honesty to the team that they need to hear after their disastrous start to the new season.

He believes a lot of the players in the current Sheffield United squad need the brutal, honest truth in order to turn around their form and climb the Championship table.

“He’s hands-on,” said Basham, via the BBC.

“I think he tells it how it is.

“I think he’s truthful, and I think that’s what a lot of the lads need at the moment.

“I think they need somebody to be truthful. I’m not having a go at them, but they haven’t been individually nowhere near as what they were at last season.

“So there’s a lot of character building to happen, which he’s fantastically good at.

“There’s a lot of home truths, which he’s brilliant at, and there’s also a togetherness that he builds.

"He understands the club more than anyone.

“That’s why you see you get a team morale, you get a united team, you get somebody that’s part of the fans as well as part of the club.

“He wears that on his sleeve, and he brings that [there’s] nothing better than a club that he supports.”

Sheffield United's disastrous league start

Wilder previously guided Sheffield United to a third place finish in the Championship last season, but a play-off final loss to Sunderland led to his departure from the club.

Selles was chosen as his replacement, with the new owners at Bramall Lane, COH Sports, opting to pick their man after taking over late in December 2024.

However, the appointment of the Spaniard proved disastrous, leading to the decision to go back to Wilder, who previously managed the Yorkshire outfit on two separate occasions.

The 57-year-old’s first game back in charge will come at home against Charlton Athletic on 20 September in a 3pm kick-off.

Chris Wilder return should boost Sheffield United

It’s been a disastrous start for Sheffield United, and Wilder should now be able to steady the ship and guide the club back up the table.

He managed the team to a third place finish last season, and it’s not too dissimilar to the squad that he left behind back in May.

There’s no doubt that some players will be happy to see him return, in particular probably Gustavo Hamer.

But some of the fresh faces at Bramall Lane for this season could also use some of the guidance that Wilder can offer as they looked quite lost under Selles during the opening five fixtures of the new season.