George Baldock makes revelation involving Sheffield United managerial decision

Sheffield United wing-back George Baldock has revealed he and his teammates were not surprised when Paul Heckingbottom was appointed as Slavisa Jokanovic’s successor after a spell in caretaker charge last term, speaking to The Sun.

The 44-year-old was unable to prevent the Blades from being relegated back to the Championship in the latter stages of last season during what was a torrid 2020/21 campaign at Bramall Lane.

Arguably, the main highlights of their season came under the stewardship of their current boss with United winning three of their last six Premier League matches as they defended excellently in those 1-0 victories against Brighton, Everton and Burnley.

However, the club’s board decided to take a different approach as they appointed multiple promotion-winning manager Slavisa Jokanovic who reverted to a back four and a different style of play, something the Blades were clearly uncomfortable with before reverting to a back three in the last two games of his tenure.

Despite winning four points from two games, it was too little too late for the Serbian who was replaced by Heckingbottom in a very swift manner at the back end of November, with the latter changing their fortunes and guiding them to a spot that keeps them firmly in the promotion mix.

One man who is glad to see the 44-year-old back at the helm is Baldock, who went on to detail the positive impact he has made since taking charge.

He said: “There weren’t many positives to take from last season – but Hecky restored a bit of hope and faith and we picked up a bit.

“So it was no surprise to me and the players when he was reappointed this time round. He has done a fantastic job.

“We all knew him and were all comfortable around him.”

The Verdict:

They do