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Lee Hendrie has given his thoughts on Sheffield United's move for free agent Jairo Riedewald

EFL pundit Lee Hendrie believes that Sheffield United are making a smart move in bringing in 29-year-old Jairo Reidewald, as he could offer quality and depth throughout a long season.

The Dutchman has struggled for games since the turn of the decade, playing just 18 times in the Premier League in the final three years of his career at Crystal Palace ahead of his release in 2024.

After a sole year out in Belgium with Royal Antwerp, where he made 28 appearances, he's set to make a return to England, as the Blades have brought him in after spending some time in training with Chris Wilder's side over the international break.

The three-time Dutch international was highly rated when he arrived at Selhurst Park aged just 20 after breaking through into the Ajax setup in his teens, but it's safe to say that the hype has died significantly over the last eight years.

At 29, he still has the potential to contribute in several different positions for Sheffield United, but at worst, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes he can be a useful body ahead of a busy winter period in the Championship.

Lee Hendrie reacts to Jairo Riedewald's Sheffield United move

In an exclusive interview with Football League World, Lee Hendrie endorsed Sheffield United's move for Riedewald, believing that the Blades may require some midfield or defensive reinforcements throughout the season.

"I think having squad depth, particularly these days when, as the Championship season goes on and there are a lot of injuries that happen, is big," he said.

"Yes, quality is so important, too, but this might be an opportunity for him and even Sheffield United, as they might just potentially grab a player who has experience who could come in and do a good job in his role.

"So I don't think it's a bad thing at all."

The former Dutch international hasn't been able to showcase his best football for quite some time now, but after getting his sharpness back in Belgium last season, you feel that Reidewald will be able to hit the ground running as and when Chris Wilder needs him to.

Free transfers are always a low-risk, high-reward situation, and the reward could prove to be rather beneficial here.

Jairo Riedewald could solve Vini Souza issue in the Sheffield United midfield

Sheffield United's squad is significantly weaker than the one that got to the play-off final last season, but arguably the main issue in the side currently is in midfield.

Simply waiting for Ollie Arblaster to come back from injury hasn't helped at all, and the Blades have been overrun more times than not in the middle of the park so far this season.

With Reidewald able to operate both in the back line and as a defensive midfielder, he'll be able to at least plug that gap, which has been wide open since Souza departed to Wolfsburg in the summer.

Whilst the Dutchman won't provide the same quality that the Brazilian enforcer did last term, you'd imagine that the Blades will improve slightly with the inclusion of the former Palace man.

If anything, Sheffield United need a boost, and whilst usually, bringing in a defensive-minded player on a free doesn't provide much excitement, if Riedewald can contribute to some positive results when the campaign resumes from the international break, he'll definitely be well-received by those inside Bramall Lane.