The ex-Sheffield United and Aston Villa footballer who is now a full-time barber | OneFootball

Samir Carruthers, formerly of Sheffield United and Aston Villa is now a barber

Sheffield United and Aston Villa have endured English football's various ups and downs over the years.

The West Midlands club are currently in the upper echelons of the Premier League, competing for a place in next season's Champions League, whereas the South Yorkshire side appear unlikely to land a Championship play-off spot.

Villa and the Blades locked horns in the 2023/24 top-flight campaign, with Unai Emery's men running out as 5-0 winners at Bramall Lane in their most recent meeting.

Players who have represented both Sheffield United and Aston Villa include Kyle Walker, who went on to win the Champions League with Manchester City, and Lee Hendrie, who is now well-known for his punditry work.

Aston Villa and Sheffield United supporters will be surprised by what Samir Carruthers is up to now

Another player who has plied his trade for both the Villa Park outfit and the Bramall Lane side is Samir Carruthers, who also played for the likes of MK Dons and Oxford United.

Many former footballers go into either punditry or coaching once they hang their boots up, but the former Ireland youth international has instead become a full-time barber.

Carruthers documents his work on TikTok and Instagram, and recently posted a video of himself dribbling past Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard on his Premier League debut.

The 32-year-old made just three appearances for Villa, which all came as a substitute in April 2012, before joining MK Dons on loan in 2013, eventually signing for the Buckinghamshire side permanently the next year.

Carruthers stayed with the Dons until January 2017, when he moved to Sheffield United, who were then battling to win promotion from League One to the Championship.

The Blades successfully lifted the third-tier title that season, and the midfielder helped their cause by notching two assists in 14 league appearances.

Carruthers went on to make a further 17 appearances across all competitions for the South Yorkshire club before joining Oxford on loan in 2018.

The former Villa man went on to sign for Cambridge United on a free transfer in 2019, and has subsequently played non-league football for Hemel Hempstead, Dartford, and Chelmsford City.

Samir Carruthers didn't quite deliver what Sheffield United had hoped for from him

The Blades will always be grateful for the fact that Carruthers helped them win promotion from League One in 2017, as they have not ventured as low as the third tier since, instead bouncing between the Premier League and the Championship.

But when the midfielder signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Sheffield United that January, Wilder said: "We have tracked and monitored Samir for some time, and he is a player who can grow with us. We are delighted that the board have backed us with this level of investment.

"Samir is the right age, has a great pedigree from his time at Villa and MK, and he is an exciting player. He is an attacking midfielder who can fit into a number of positions, and we are looking forward to introducing him to our great group."

However, the Blades announced that Carruthers had left Bramall Lane via mutual consent in 2019, long before his initial three-and-a-half year deal was set to expire.

The midfielder couldn't deliver the sort of excitement Wilder alluded to in the Championship, and instead embarked on a career in the lower levels of the game before becoming a barber.