Sheffield United: Imminent Phil Jones arrival could be bad news for Chris Wilder | OneFootball

Phil Jones is expected to become a coach at Sheffield United

Sheffield United will be hoping to get back into promotion contention next season and after an underwhelming 13th place finish.

The Blades were in the play-off final just one year ago, but were 13 points adrift of the top six this campaign.

Chris Wilder has seen a major shake-up behind the scenes, with major figures in his coaching staff departing, such as Alan Knill.

These moves have come as a surprise, but they are a sign of a willingness to change things up after a disappointing Championship season.

The 58-year-old is set to remain in charge of the first team squad, but his staff will receive a makeover, with it being reported that Phil Jones will join the coaching team.

The former defender has been working with Blackburn Rovers, but he announced his departure from Ewood Park with a farewell message to supporters.

Chris Wilder will need to be wary of Phil Jones threat

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Jones retired from football in 2023, but his first steps into coaching began before that as he worked at underage level at Manchester United.

The 34-year-old made the move to Blackburn earlier this year, becoming a part of Michael O’Neill’s backroom staff, which was his first foray into senior management.

The former defender has earned his UEFA Pro Licence, and this is surely just the next step into becoming a full-time head coach.

But that could be a mild concern for Wilder, who will be providing mentorship to Jones as part of this move.

If Sheffield United don’t make a strong start to the campaign, then the former Blackburn coach would make for a natural choice to replace him, at least on an initial interim basis.

Wilder is a vastly experienced coach, and he’ll know all too well the likelihood of this scenario playing out, and it adds to the pressure on his shoulders to turn things around at Bramall Lane.

He doesn’t deserve all of the blame for Sheffield United’s disappointing campaign given he took over the side after they lost their opening five fixtures under Ruben Selles.

But expectations will be much higher now that the team has a fresh slate, and Wilder may not be given much more time if things don’t drastically improve.

Phil Jones takes a valuable step in his career

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It’s not surprising that Jones will be making the move to Sheffield United after his exit from Blackburn.

While he has a background and history with the Lancashire outfit, the opportunity to work under someone like Wilder could be massively beneficial for his coaching career.

Jones is still only 34, and gaining experience as an assistant can be a great step before becoming a head coach.

Mikel Arteta at Arsenal is a great example, and shows the value of working under a top manager while still in the early stages of your coaching career.

The Arsenal boss got the ultimate opportunity when he was an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, and he has used that experience to become a Premier League winning coach.

While Wilder will be aware of the possibility of Jones usurping him at Bramall Lane in the long run, it will also be very beneficial for him in the immediate-term to bring in fresh ideas.

Jones has played under the likes of Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, and has only recently completed his badges, which would’ve involved learning about a lot of new training methods.

And it was only last year that he received his diploma in his directorship degree from the PFA Business School, which furthered his education beyond his coaching badges.