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The 22-year-old has struggled at Sheffield United

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’s chaotic start to the season has seen numerous players in the squad fail to perform.

The Blades entered the 2025/26 campaign under new management, after Chris Wilder was dismissed due to his failure in securing the club Premier League football, with Ruben Selles appointed in his place.

That decision didn’t prove to be a successful one. In fact, the Spaniard’s stint as United boss couldn’t have gone any worse. The Steel City side lost their first five matches of a Football League season for just the second time in their history, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table.

Selles was subsequently sacked, with Wilder reappointed for a third time to solve the mess his departure had contributed to. Form hasn’t been brilliant since that point though, with United losing further clashes against Charlton Athletic and Southampton.

This series of events has affected a number of players, most notably Louie Barry. The 22-year-old signed for the Blades on loan from Aston Villa in the summer and featured heavily under Selles at left wing.

His performances weren’t anything to write home about, but he was consistently starting for a Championship club. However, since Wilder’s reappointment, Barry has seen his place in the team vanish, with Gus Hamer returning to the left flank.

Football League World’s Sheffield United fan pundit, Jimmy AKA Blades Ramble, believes that the young forward may struggle to reclaim his place in the team, with further doubts over Barry’s permanent future at Bramall Lane.

Louie Barry's Sheffield United future called into question

“Louie Barry is a tricky one,” stated Jimmy. “We've not seen an awful lot of him at all, certainly under Chris Wilder.

“It wasn't a Chris Wilder signing and now Chris has gone back to playing Gus Hamer on the left.

“I think it'll be really tough for Barry to break into the side. So, on current evidence, I would have to say no, a permanent deal would not be on the cards.

“If he can come into the side at any stage and make an impact, which will be a tough ask for him off the bench, then he may well talk himself into contention.

“But at the moment, he's not getting in front of Gus Hamer, so it's going to be a tough one for Louie to earn a permanent deal.”

Louie Barry will seriously struggle to reclaim place in Sheffield United squad

Given that Hamer is now operating on the left wing once more, Barry is up against it in the fight to reclaim his place in the Blades’ starting 11.

Last season, Hamer claimed the Championship’s Player of the Year award due to his performances from that position and didn’t look to be able to influence play as much from the central role he was deployed in under Selles.

Wilder knows that he can rely on the Dutchman to perform consistently, whilst Barry is still an unknown quantity at the Championship level.

The 22-year-old has shown massive quality in other divisions, most notably whilst in League One last term, where he scored 15 goals and provided two assists in 23 appearances for Stockport County.

However, he is still yet to record a Championship goal contribution. If Barry can’t impress Wilder in training, there currently stands very little chance of his loan move being made permanent.