Sky Sports pundit makes bold promotion claim involving Sheffield United

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has admitted that he believes that Sheffield United will secure promotion to the Premier League from the Championship later this year.

The Blades have experienced a resurgence at this level since opting to draft in Paul Heckingbottom as Slavisa Jokanovic’s successor in November.

Under the guidance of Heckingbottom, United have managed to accumulate an impressive total of 27 points from their last 12 league fixtures.

As a result of this upturn in form, the Blades have moved into the play-off places in the Championship and will now be determined to retain a spot in the top-six for the remainder of the campaign.

Set to face Blackburn Rovers at Bramall Lane tomorrow, Heckingbottom’s side will be brimming with confidence heading into this particular fixture following their 4-0 victory over Swansea City last weekend.

By beating Blackburn, the Blades will close the gap between them and their Championship rivals to one point.

Ahead of this fixture, Hendrie has revealed that he believes that his former side will secure promotion this season.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky Sports EFL Podcast, Hendrie said: “I certainly think that Sheffield United will get promoted this season.

“I feel the squad of players that he [Heckingbottom] has got there, I think he will be bitterly disappointed if he didn’t because whether it’s automatic, I don’t think it will be.

“I think they’ll certainly get into the play-offs and I feel that they are strong enough to go and get themselves back into the Premier League.

“I think it’s a fabulous football club and I’m so glad to see that Heckingbottom’s taking them in the right direction.”

The Verdict

Although there is still plenty of football left to be played this