Wilder could be set for a sensational return

Sheffield United have axed Ruben Selles after a horrendous start to the new season. 

The Blades have endured six consecutive defeats, failing to score a goal in their last four games.

Daily Mail Sport revealed on Saturday Sheffield United are exploring a sensational move to reappoint Chris Wilder.

Wilder was sacked as Blades boss after losing to Sunderland in the play-off final. They finished the season with 90 points from 46 games despite having two deducted for missed transfer payments.

He was replaced by Selles whose team were thrashed 5-0 at Ipswich on Friday leaving them bottom of the Championship in a nightmare start to the 2025-26 season.

Daily Mail Sport understands a move for Wilder, first reported by Sheffield paper the Star, is a genuine possibility. Moreover, the 57-year-old is ready to consider a return to help his boyhood club out of trouble once again.

Wilder could be set for a sensational return

Selles has lost his first five league games in charge of the Blades

Chris Wilder (left) could make a stunning return to Sheffield United to replace Ruben Selles

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Sheffield United were thrashed 5-0 by Ipswich Town on Friday, leaving them bottom of table

Sheffield United were thrashed 5-0 by Ipswich Town on Friday, leaving them bottom of table

Wilder was born in South Yorkshire and raised as a Blades fan. He had two spells at Bramall Lane as a player and has already had two spells in charge as manager.

His status as a legend is secure after he led them from the depths of the third tier to finish ninth in the Premier League at the end of the 2019/20 season, but he was dismissed the following season as they slid towards relegation.

Stability at Bramall Lane has been undermined over recent years by changes in the boardroom with long-standing chairman Kevin McCabe losing a power struggle with co-owner Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad al Saud, who sold the club in December last year to an American consortium led by Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltouky.

Wilder was reappointed by Prince Abdullah and then sacked again by the American owners last summer after disagreements over the recruitment strategy, with the new board determined to press ahead with an AI-led format.

But it is understood the parting was amicable. Bridges were not burned.

And, although Wilder will expect some degree of freedom to run the club in his style, those close to him say he has softened as a leader in recent years, appreciates the modern game has changed and that data technology is integral to success.

Sheffield UtdFootball League Championship

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