What Sheffield United icon Billy Sharp really wants to do with David McGoldrick right now | OneFootball

Billy Sharp has no intention of retiring just yet as he cites David McGoldrick as inspiration

Billy Sharp is still going at the ripe old age of 40, although his future in professional football now looks uncertain as he prepares to leave Doncaster Rovers.

A bonafide EFL great, Sharp began his career at senior football with a loan spell at Dagenham & Redbridge during the 2004/05 campaign.

The forward has scored goals in each of the top four divisions in English football, playing for the likes of Southampton, Sheffield United, Hull City and more.

The 40-year-old is still plying his trade, as he helped Doncaster Rovers establish themselves in League One this season.

Sharp made the move back to the Yorkshire outfit in 2024 following his exit from the MKM Stadium, and he scored nine times as they earned promotion in 2025.

Doncaster have achieved survival in the third tier this season, and still have two games left to try and reach the top half of the table.

The striker has featured 35 times for Grant McCann’s side this season, contributing three goals and one assist as his contract draws to a close in the summer.

Billy Sharp makes David McGoldrick claim

Sharp has praised his former teammate David McGoldrick for his impressive League One campaign with Barnsley, and has claimed that he would love to link back up with the former Ireland international somehow.

He revealed that he is inspired by the 38-year-old to keep going, even though he still aspires to be a manager when he finally calls it a day on his playing career.

“People like David McGoldrick are keeping me going,” said Sharp, via The Star.

“He has been flying. I had a good chat with him yesterday.

“We are going to meet up soon and we are going to try maybe get a club together.

“I want to play with him again.

“I am not going to hide away from it; I want to be a manager one day.

“I know I have got work to do before I get there but I have been doing that work for the last 10 years.

“Diplomas and coaching badges.

“While I have been sitting on the bench at Doncaster I have been looking at other managers and trying to learn off them.

“I love football and I want to stay in it. I am not saying I am not going to play next year ... I am still very hungry.”

McGoldrick made the move to Barnsley last summer, and he has contributed 15 goals from 35 appearances in the league for the Tykes.

However, his future at Oakwell is uncertain with his contract set to expire at the end of the campaign.

It remains to be seen whether he will remain with the Yorkshire outfit, or if he will make the switch again after just one year with the club.

Manager Conor Hourihane will depart Barnsley at the end of the campaign following the team’s failure to compete for promotion.

The 35-year-old took charge at the end of the previous season, and has overseen a 13th place result from their first 43 fixtures.

The gap to the play-offs is now 15 points with just three games to play, leaving the club unable to make it into the top six.

Meanwhile, Doncaster are two places behind but level on points with the Tykes, albeit they’ve played a game more.

Billy Sharp and David McGoldrick pairing could still be quite lethal

Sharp hasn’t been able to find the back consistently this season in comparison to some of his previous years, but he’s still been an important player for Doncaster establishing themselves back in League One.

And McGoldrick has had an excellent campaign, scoring 15 goals in the third tier after bagging 17 last season in League Two.

The pair could work together quite well if a club could bring them in this summer, particularly as they already know each other quite well from their time at Sheffield United.

While they have a combined 78 years between them, they’ve shown that age is just a number and that they still have a lot to offer at this stage of their careers, and their vast level of experience could also be quite useful, whether it’s at Barnsley, Doncaster or another club.