Sheffield United are not enjoying the greatest period in their history of late. They have struggled after returning to the Premier League for the 2023/24 season and relegation seems inevitable.
The Blades will undoubtedly have to wait until next season to achieve significant success – perhaps by securing immediate promotion back to the Premier League.
However, some former players of the club are predicted to have different fortunes at the latter end of the season.
Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles are set to be decided in the coming months and former Sheffield United stars have huge chances of lifting those honours.
Kyle Walker
Sheffield United are the team that unleashed Kyle Walker into the competitive scene of professional football. After spending his development years with the team he supported, he made just two appearances before securing a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Now though Walker plays for Manchester City who are looking to go back-to-back in Europe’s greatest competition, in a bet on the Champions League, they are the favourites at odds of 13/8.
CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE
Words cannot describe this feeling. My dream since I was a child growing up finally achieved. Thank you everyone 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/UO4uFza7sb
— Kyle Walker (@kylewalker2) June 11, 2023
City will also be bidding for numerous domestic successes late on this season as they are frontrunners for the FA Cup and Premier League too.
Walker has been a key part of one of the most dominant teams in English footballing history, and now they are threatening to build a similar legacy in Europe.
The Blades may be enduring a difficult season right now but it should still be celebrated that a player they developed is operating at the absolute peak of the game and competing for the prestigious trophies.
Aaron Ramsdale
Aaron Ramsdale is another player who spent his development years with Sheffield United although he was never given a senior appearance in his first spell at the club.
He returned for a second stint when the club earned Premier League promotion in 2020 and earned the club’s Player of the Year award for his efforts in the following season before joining Arsenal.
He has been on the books in North London ever since and he has effectively established himself as a top-level Premier League goalkeeper, and that is one of the main competitions the Gunners could win.
Aaron Ramsdale in training. #afc pic.twitter.com/kexqyAzYye
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) March 7, 2024
Ramsdale is not a regular starter anymore due to the summer signing of David Raya, although he is still a crucial part of Arteta’s league and Champions League-chasing team. He steps in whenever required and is still a strong presence between the sticks.
Walker’s City are ultimately the biggest hurdle that stands between Ramsdale’s Arsenal winning the big trophies. They will be expected to defend their 2023 titles, although the Gunners have proved they are formidable challengers.
The end of the season could offer an under-the-radar narrative in which two former Blades players will face off to secure football’s greatest prizes.
The pair, regardless of what happens from now, have a remarkably different fate to the current Sheffield United players, who know that the results from now will likely be meaningless with relegation almost a guarantee.
It is still positive for the Yorkshire club though that the development squad has produced numerous high-level players across the current footballing generation. Walker especially is Sheffield through and through and he is well on the way to becoming one of the most successful fullbacks of all time.
Image Source: unsplash.com