Former Leeds United manager Paul Heckingbottom set to take charge at Championship side Sheffield United

The YEP’s sister title the Sheffield Star reports that Heckingbottom will be given the opportunity to stake a claim for a permanent position as head coach at Bramall Lane following his stint as interim manager after the departure of Chris Wilder earlier this year.

Tasked with steering the Blades clear of relegation, Heckingbottom stepped up from his role as under-23s coach to lead the first team in March but could not prevent Sheffield from dropping into the Championship.

Though shortlisted then for the permanent role, Heckingbottom made way for Jokanović at the end of the season. The Serbian arrived at Bramall Lane with two second-tier promotions to his name, having taken Watford and Fulham up to the Premier League in previous seasons.

Under Jokanović, Sheffield have won six out of 19 league games this season, and this week Heckingbottom will inherit a mid-table team who are eight points above the drop zone and eight points shy of a play-off place.

The Blades were Heckingbottom’s first opponents after taking charge of Leeds back in February 2018, when a brace by Billy Sharp earned Sheffield a 2-1 victory at Bramall Lane.

The Whites won four games in Heckingbottom’s sixteen-match tenure before the Yorkshireman was sacked in June 2018 after four months at Elland Road, where Marcelo Bielsa took up his role two weeks later.

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