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Sheffield United have just been promoted to the Premier League with largely the same squad that won League One with 100 points two years ago.
Chris Wilder showed great loyalty to his squad upon their arrival in the Championship but if he tries to repeat the trick in the Premier League he could end up in trouble.
On the chalkboard
Of Sheffield United’s 13 most used players this season, seven of them were a part of the squad that won League One so comprehensively in 2017.
They managed to make the step up once so why couldn’t they do it again?
The Premier League is a different animal when compared to the lower leagues. Players who are stars in the Championship tend to falter when they make the step up, and the United manager needs not to be blinded by loyalty once his team arrives in the top flight.
Although the Blades have been incredible this season, their current squad isn’t good enough to compete next year.
If Wilder doesn’t have a considerable reshuffle of his squad, they will struggle as the majority of his players aren’t up to the standard.
Not up to standard
David McGoldrick was the club’s Player of the Year, but just 12 months prior he was being released by Ipswich, while Enda Stevens was shocking at Doncaster Rovers before becoming one of the best left-backs in the Championship under Wilder.
You could go on and say that almost every player showed no signs of being capable of the performances they have put in this campaign.
Rather than having the best team in the Championship they have managed to get the majority of the squad to put in the best season of their careers.
That is dangerous when going into the Premier League as momentum and confidence won’t be enough to carry them through when coming up against some of the best players in the world. The worry is that the Blades’ squad will revert back to the performances they were putting in before Wilder’s arrival.
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The Yorkshire club need to invest in players who have proven quality rather than relying on the same core that they had in League One, or else they will land be back in the second tier in no time.