Sheffield United urged to offload ex-Leeds United man - 'it's just not worked' | OneFootball

Jamie Shackleton has been omitted from Chris Wilder's squad for the remainder of the season

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield United have been urged to consider offloading Jamie Shackleton, after it was revealed that the versatile Blades man was omitted from Chris Wilder's squad for the remainder of the season.

It has been a campaign of inconsistency for the Steel City side, albeit United have definitely shown an improvement in recent weeks and months under the 58-year-old, who returned to Bramall Lane for a third managerial stint in September after their well-documented horror start under Ruben Selles.

The Blades are currently 17th in the Championship table having played 31 matches, meaning there are 15 left for last season's play-off finalists to continue working towards an audacious, but late bid to achieve a top six berth as they are currently eight points adrift.

Wilder's side suffered a first defeat in eight home matches last time out against Middlesbrough, with two former Leeds United players going on to make their debuts for the South Yorkshire outfit in the process, in the form of Kalvin Phillips and Joe Rothwell - albeit the latter was soon sent off for a late tackle on Alan Browne - whilst another ex-Elland Road ace, Patrick Bamford, continued his impressive goalscoring run in S2 with a consolation.

However, it is fair to say that Shackleton has not been able to have the desired impact which Wilder would have envisaged after the utility man agreed a three-year contract after moving to the Blades on a free transfer in July 2024.

As such, Football League World's Sheffield United fan pundit, Jimmy - from the Blades Ramble - believes the two parties would be best off parting ways as soon as possible, as the 26-year-old's time with his current employers hasn't gone anywhere near as first planned due to a handful of circumstances.

Sheffield United told to consider Jamie Shackleton exit amid major Blades squad call

After being a part of the Whites' Championship-winning squad under Marcelo Bielsa in 2019/20, there was hope that Shackleton could bring such experience over to Bramall Lane at the beginning of last season after his spell at Elland Road came to an end.

However, after making just 12 league appearances for the Blades, the Leeds native suffered a foot injury in December 2024, which denied him the chance of featuring again under Wilder last season as his team were eventually defeated by Sunderland in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium.

The same injury has since reoccured this season, limiting the former England youth international to just three appearances, and now he will not feature until at least the start of next season for any club, with United omitting Shackleton from their revised 25-man squad list which was submitted to the EFL after the end of the winter transfer window.

Jimmy believes that the Blades should look to move the £7,500 per week earner on as a result of his injury woes and the club's forecasted financial state.

"It's just not worked for Jamie Shackleton so far," he told FLW.

"I'm not even sure that, when he's fit, he even gets into the squad. He may fill out the bench, but I don't think he's the type of player that takes us forward.

"I certainly don't think he's durable enough," Jimmy claimed.

"We can't afford - now that we're not going to be a 'parachute' club in the Championship - to be carrying players on decent wages like that, that don't contribute directly to the first-team.

"In my opinion, I would be looking to move Jamie Shackleton on in the summer," he stated. "As I say, it's just not worked.

"First, you need to be available. The best ability is availability, as we say. But, also, you need to be capable of pushing.

"We may keep him around as back-up to Seriki until we can fill that void. But, ultimately, long-term, I don't think he's a player we will be looking to keep."

Jamie Shackleton will need to be playing regularly after long-term injury absence

As Jimmy alluded to, it remains to be seen if United can hold on to Femi Seriki long-term amid interest from Everton in the transfer window, which means Shackleton could be kept around if the former was to depart, whilst the club would need to source a replacement.

However, he will hope to feature regularly when back to full fitness after a luckless 14-month period, and it appears as though that certainly cannot be guaranteed with the Blades, meaning a departure could be the logical course of action.