Triple Sheffield United exit likely - new Ben Godfrey hint adds fuel to fire | OneFootball

Ben Godfrey's cryptic post on Instagram is a further hint that the defender's loan at Sheffield United will be terminated in January.

It has been a disappointing first half of the season in the Championship for Sheffield United, and there could be big changes at Bramall Lane in the January transfer window.

After losing to Sunderland in last season's play-off final, Sheffield United made the controversial decision to part company with manager Chris Wilder in June, replacing him with Ruben Selles, but the move turned out to be a disaster.

Selles was sacked in September after losing all of his six games in charge in all competitions, and Wilder made a sensational return to the club for a third spell just 89 days after his summer exit, but despite an upturn in form under the 58-year-old in recent months, the Blades are still languishing in the bottom half of the table.

Speaking after the 2-0 defeat at West Brom last Friday night, an angry Wilder warned that he is not afraid to overhaul his squad in January, stating that "it won’t be my team if they carry on doing that".

While Wilder may simply have been venting his frustration in the aftermath of a disappointing defeat, it seems inevitable that there will be some outgoings in the winter window, and defenders Ben Godfrey and Tyler Bindon and forward Louie Barry are three players in particular who could be vulnerable to the axe.

Ben Godfrey, Tyler Bindon and Louie Barry set for Sheffield United exit in January

Godfrey, Bindon and Barry only made the move to Sheffield United in the summer when they joined on loan from Atalanta, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa respectively, but their time at Bramall Lane looks set to come to an end next month.

As FLW exclusively revealed last month, the Blades are preparing to terminate the loan deals of Godfrey, Bindon and Barry in January as they look to free up space in what is an oversized squad and possibly even make room for new additions.

Godfrey started four consecutive games for United after his arrival, including the first game after Wilder's return, but he has not made a single appearance, or even featured in a matchday squad, since the middle of September.

Bindon played under Selles during his time at Reading, and he was a regular at the start of the season under the Spaniard, but he has fallen out of favour in recent months under Wilder, although he did make a rare start for the Blades in their recent 1-1 draw against Norwich City.

Barry is another player who reunited with Selles at Bramall Lane in the summer after working with him previously at Hull City, but his game time has also become limited under Wilder, and he has been sidelined since late October with a knee injury.

Hull are believed to be keen to re-sign Barry in January, while Stoke City, Derby County and Oxford United are also interested in the forward, and as his injury absence continues, it looks likely he may already have made his final appearance in a United shirt.

Ben Godfrey may have confirmed Sheffield United departure with mysterious social media hint

Bindon and Barry were clearly signings that were pushed by Selles, so it is perhaps not too surprising that they have found themselves out in the cold at Sheffield United since Wilder's return.

However, while Bindon and Barry's lack of minutes seems like a simple case of two managers having different opinions on them, Godfrey's situation is much more mysterious.

Given Wilder's usual preference for experienced players, Godfrey looked like he would have been the perfect fit for the Blades manager, so the fact he has featured just once under him has certainly raised a few eyebrows.

The ambiguity around Godfrey's absence only increased further after Wilder declined to explain why he had not been involved with the squad in October, instead stating that he is "just unavailable at the moment", but his appearance in an Under-21 game last month suggests that he is not injured.

As the silence from the club continues, Godfrey took to Instagram this week to share a black and white photo of him in an Atalanta training kit, prompting further speculation about his imminent Bramall Lane exit.

Given how badly it has gone for Godfrey since his £10 million move to Atalanta from Everton last summer, it seems unlikely that he is in too much of a hurry to return to Bergamo, but there has been a managerial change at the club in recent weeks with Raffaele Palladino replacing Ivan Juric, so he may be optimistic of a fresh start.