Paul Heckingbottom's transfer gamble that turned Sheffield United into promotion contenders

With Sheffield United having been down to the bare bones for large parts of Paul Heckingbottom's reign, in hindsight was it the wrong decision to let players leave in January? No, is the simple answer from the Blades boss, because that decision paved the way for his side to become promotion contenders.

The strike force was cut from six to four with Lys Mousset and Oli Burke being allowed to leave on loan, while Luke Freeman also departed until the end of the season. With Covid coming back into football and games being postponed left, right and centre, it was seen as a gamble at the time letting more players out the door than those coming in.

United were faced with an incredibly tough fixture programme after seeing their Christmas and New Year programme wiped out and, as a result, had 16 matches between January and March with a run of three games a week for much of that period. Injuries and fitness started to bite, and at one stage United's physio room had the same amount of senior players on the treatment table as Heckingbottom had available to pick from.

Even now, with just six games to go, he has only one senior striker for the time being with Billy Sharp nursing a hamstring problem and both David McGoldrick and Rhian Brewster ruled out for the season. Those injuries have threatened to wreck United's run-in and to be sixth at this stage having lost only four of their last 23 matches is a remarkable achievement.

Knowing what was to come in terms of the gruelling fixture list and having seen how that has taken its toll on his players, would Heckingbottom make those same decisions again in January? He says he would, with his answer suggesting that some of those who left did not buy into his work ethic, demands or