Tony Pulis has weighed in on Sheffield United ahead of their return to competitive action

Tony Pulis is hoping to see a “proper Chris Wilder Sheffield United team” again after a difficult 2025/26 campaign.

Ruben Selles was installed as Chris Wilder’s replacement last summer, only for a disastrous start to the campaign to prompt the Blades hierarchy to rehire Wilder just five league games in.

Wilder dragged his beloved Blades away from the relegation battle but could not make them promotion contenders. After an underwhelming 13th-placed finish, Sheffield United are hoping to get back to challenging near the summit.

Pulis has saluted the Sheffield United board for retaining faith in Wilder this time around, although has warned pressure could build quickly.

Tony Pulis is pleased Sheffield United have kept faith in Chris Wilder this time around. | Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

placeholder image — Tony Pulis is pleased Sheffield United have kept faith in Chris Wilder this time around. | Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

Tony Pulis on Sheffield United

He told Midnite, whose ‘Built Different Index’ ranks all 92 clubs across the English Football League: “I think before the season even got underway, there was a real, widespread feeling among a lot of people that they were going to have a very good campaign, so the way things started was definitely a bit of a surprise.

"It has been great to see that there has been no knee-jerk reaction from the hierarchy and that they have chosen to stick with Chris, but he will know as well as anybody else in the game that he has to be successful this year. If the results do not come, the pressure is inevitably going to build on him.

"You look at what happened previously and you wonder if the owners learned their lesson after trying to replace him, only to end up bringing him back into the fold quite quickly.

“In terms of expecting to see a proper Chris Wilder Sheffield United team again, I certainly hope so. I like Chris a lot, he is a good manager, and Sheffield United is a big, historic club. Sheffield is a fantastic football city overall, and for the sake of the area, they really need both of their clubs to be thriving and successful.”