Exclusive: Sky pundit reacts as Sheffield United plot Leicester City transfer deal | OneFootball

The Australian centre-back has been linked with a potential return to Bramall Lane

Sky Sports pundit and EFL expert Lee Hendrie has issued his thoughts on the potential recapture of Harry Souttar by Sheffield United in the upcoming January transfer window.

It has been a well-documented start to the season at Bramall Lane for all the wrong reasons, with the Blades still without a point on the board in the Championship after the opening six rounds of fixtures after also bowing out of the EFL Cup during the first round last month.

There was plenty of change in S2 over the course of the off-season and summer transfer window, with Ruben Selles given plenty of backing by American ownership group, COH Sports, to mould what he believed would be a squad capable of challenging at the top end of the second tier once again after agonisingly losing out on a place in the Premier League at the hands of Sunderland in last term's play-off final.

Many experienced bodies were brought into the club in the latter stages of the window, and plenty of those would come in the defensive department such as Ben Godfrey, Ben Mee, Japhet Tanganga and Mark McGuinness, adding to the previous additions of Tyler Bindon and Nils Zatterstrom.

However, not many have had the desired impact thus far, which resulted in Selles being given his P45 after the 5-0 defeat at Ipswich Town on September 13th, with Chris Wilder's subsequent third stint at his boyhood club getting off to a poor start with a 1-0 loss to Charlton Athletic.

The 57-year-old has already admitted that his squad will be beyond stacked when every player is available for selection. Yet, despite this, there has been talk that last season's Leicester City loanee could return to the club.

Souttar previously gained a reputation for being one of the second tier's most highly-rated centre-backs during a spell with Stoke City, and after impressing for Australia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the towering figure moved to the King Power Stadium for an initial £15m in January 2023.

However, the 26-year-old has made just 16 appearances for the Foxes since his eight-figure move, which included a bit-part role in their title-winning campaign of 2023/24 under Enzo Maresca, before joining the Blades on loan last term.

Souttar's presence was invaluable as United conceded just 10 times during his 21 appearances, before a serious achilles injury ended his spell at the club as they eventually went on to suffer defeat at Wembley Stadium.

Given the aforementioned admission regarding squad size by Wilder, Hendrie welcomes the thought of Souttar returning to S2, be it on a permanent or temporary basis, but predicts that another overhaul of players is in store at Bramall Lane.

"I've always been a fan of Harry Souttar," he exclusively told Football League World. "They're talking about taking him back in January.

"It's a long way off still," Hendrie added. "Things will change at that football club, I have no doubt.

"We're talking about the January window when the summer window's just shut. They need to deal with what they've got in the building at the moment.

"Maybe you're looking at the January window, things obviously get put in the pipeline," the pundit explained. "Harry Souttar would be a good player (to have).

"He's got the experience of being around and, obviously, he's not getting gametime. In January, I think there'll be lots of changes."

Potential Harry Souttar, Sheffield United reunion is an intriguing prospect at present

As Hendrie alluded to, the transfer window will not be the immediate focus in this part of the Steel City, with Wilder hoping to put a quick end to a drastic plight down the Championship table that already has his side on the back foot when it comes to potentially rescuing their season in the coming weeks and months.

Wilder opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation in his first game back at the helm, with Tanganga partnering McGuinness at the heart of defence, with the latter also given the captaincy in just his third appearance for the club.

With Souttar predominantly featuring as a right-sided centre-back, it would be an extremely solid partnership alongside the former Millwall man, which would certainly put a stop to the mass leak of goals that United have endured in the early weeks of the season, especially if it continues heading towards January.

As for Souttar, he is yet to feature in a matchday squad for Marti Cifuentes as he continues working back up to full fitness, although his future remains uncertain despite being named as part of Leicester's current 25-man squad.