Chris Wilder has lifted the lid on Leicester City manager talks - He was "disappointed" over Foxes decision | OneFootball

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has opened up on his discussions with Leicester City in the summer over their vacant managerial position.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has admitted he was disappointed not to land the Leicester City job this summer after holding talks with the Foxes.

Leicester parted company with manager Ruud van Nistelrooy in June following their relegation from the Premier League, and Wilder was one of a host of names linked with the club, along with the likes of Sean Dyche, Danny Rohl and Gary O'Neil.

At the time, Wilder was out of work after his controversial departure from Sheffield United just a few weeks after their defeat by Sunderland in the play-off final, with disagreements between the 58-year-old and the owners over their new data-driven recruitment model believed to have been one of the main factors behind his exit.

As FLW exclusively revealed, Wilder held discussions with Leicester about potentially replacing van Nistelrooy, but he was ultimately overlooked for the job, with the Foxes eventually opting to appoint Marti Cifuentes, who had just left Queens Park Rangers after a period of gardening leave.

Wilder did not have to wait too long to get back into work as he made a sensational return to Sheffield United in September to replace Ruben Selles, just 89 days after his summer departure, and he has won five of his 12 games in charge so far to move the Blades out of the relegation zone.

After two consecutive 3-0 victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth in their last two games, United travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester on Saturday, and with the Foxes currently sitting in 15th place, Wilder has the opportunity to pile more pressure on the under-fire Cifuentes.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder makes big Leicester City admission after summer talks

Ahead of his side's game against Leicester, Wilder admitted that he was frustrated about missing out on the job at the King Power Stadium in the summer, but he insisted he does not have any regrets about the situation after returning to Sheffield United for a third spell.

"I spoke to Leicester City in the summer and was impressed with what they had to say," Wilder told Sheffield United's official website.

"At the time, I was out of work, so disappointed not to get that gig, but you move on, and I enjoyed the process and the interview process.

"I was disappointed not to get the job because I'd like to think it would be one that would've worked well for myself and the coaches.

"I know a lot about the club over a number of years, know about the players, worked with Luke Thomas, Hamza, Harry Souttar, and they had a very positive view on the club.

"What Enzo [Maresca] did as well, we share the same agent.

"It's a big club and I wanted to get back in to work and I thought I could've done a decent job for them, but it's worked out fabulously for me to be back at my club."

Leicester City may be feeling Chris Wilder regret as Marti Cifuentes pressure builds

If things had worked out differently, Wilder could have been facing Sheffield United in the opposition dugout this weekend, and while he may be glad that missing out on the Leicester job allowed him to return to Bramall Lane, the Foxes will surely be having a few regrets about turning him down in favour of Cifuentes.

It is easy to see why Leicester gave Cifuentes an opportunity after his excellent work on a limited budget at QPR, but it has not worked out for him at the King Power Stadium so far, and he is coming under increasing pressure from supporters as his side's slide down the table continues.

Back-to-back victories over Norwich City and Stoke City earlier this month provided some brief respite for Cifuentes, but he came in for strong criticism after the horror 3-0 defeat at Southampton on Tuesday night, and with speculation about his future mounting, Wilder could potentially deal the final blow if he can lead the Blades to victory on Saturday.