Sheffield United's rebuilding plans: Chris Wilder looking for 'culture carriers' as he 'fishes in more than one pond'

At the start of the campaign, slow recruitment and injuries forced then-manager Paul Heckingbottom to rely on youngsters but since Wilder, inset, returned he has leant heavily on Andre Brooks and Will Osula and left more senior players on the bench.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, tying down some of the more junior members of the squad has taken precedence over securing the futures of the welter of older players out of contract in the summer, such as John Egan, Oli McBurnie, Jayden Bogle, George Baldock, Max Lowe, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Oliver Norwood, Ben Osborn, Wes Foderingham, Adam Davies and Chris Basham.

Many will inevitably be released with the Blades having to cut costs after failing to find a new buyer for the last couple of years, and with relegation to the far less lucrative Championship looking increasingly inevitable.

Get a bespoke news round-up, as well as breaking news updates, when you sign up to the Yorkshire Post’s newsletters

A lack of investment since the last time the Blades dropped out of the Premier League in 2021 meant they came up with an ageing squad still centred around the one which won promotion two years earlier.

The 2019-20 group was very British-influenced but Wilder’s January recruitment of Croatian goalkeeper Ivo Grbic backs up his words about “fishing in more than one pond” for new players.

And he insists the rebuild will have to be about more than simply young players, with “culture-carriers” needed to guide them.

“We understand it can’t all be about young players, whatever division we are in,” he said. “But how great it is to have them there, and that the pathway is there.

“There has to be a balance because the kids need the culture carriers around them. There’s a few things about them. They’re talented but they’ve got fantastic attitudes. They are well-rounded.

“I’m confident in the rebuild. The main window (for it) is going to be in the summer. I’m super confident.

“Culturally, we need to get the recruitment right. We’re not just fishing in one pond.”