# 2020–21 Sheffield United F.C. season

The 2020–21 Sheffield United Football Club season was the club's 132nd season in existence and the club's 2nd consecutive season in the top flight of English football. In addition to the domestic league, Sheffield United participated in this season's editions of the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.
Sheffield United suffered a disastrous start to the season. With just 2 points in their first 17 fixtures, Sheffield United set a record for the worst-ever Premier League start not including administrative point deductions. They also broke the Premier League record of most consecutive games without a win to start the season, with 17. Previously, the record was held by the 2012–13 Queens Park Rangers squad.
Things marginally improved after Matchday 18, when Sheffield United defeated Newcastle United 1–0 on 12 January 2021 at Bramall Lane. Two further wins followed, including a shock away win against Manchester United. However, Sheffield United remained bottom of the table and they were eventually officially relegated on 17 April 2021 following a 1–0 away defeat at Wolves - thus ending the Blades' two-year status in the English top flight. The team manager Chris Wilder resigned towards the end of the season, following reported clashes with the club ownership and board. He was replaced by interim manager Paul Heckingbottom (previously under 23's manager).

## Kits

| Home | Home alt.1 | Home alt.2 | Away | Away alt.1 | Third | Third alt.1 | Third alt.3 |

## Squad
### Appearances and goals

Updated 23 May 2021
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | ENG | Aaron Ramsdale | 42 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | ENG | Wes Foderingham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | GK | ENG | Simon Moore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | George Baldock | 34 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | IRL | Enda Stevens | 32 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Jack O'Connell | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Chris Basham | 35 | 1 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | IRL | John Egan | 34 | 0 | 30+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | ENG | Max Lowe | 11 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Phil Jagielka | 12 | 0 | 6+4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Jack Robinson | 12 | 0 | 10+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | ENG | Jayden Bogle | 21 | 3 | 12+4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | WAL | Ethan Ampadu | 29 | 0 | 23+2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Kean Bryan | 15 | 1 | 12+1 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | DF | ENG | Femi Seriki | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | SCO | John Fleck | 35 | 0 | 29+2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | John Lundstram | 32 | 0 | 23+5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | NOR | Sander Berge | 16 | 1 | 13+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | NIR | Oliver Norwood | 37 | 0 | 26+6 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Ben Osborn | 27 | 1 | 17+7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Jack Rodwell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | FRA | Iliman Ndiaye | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | SCO | Oli McBurnie | 25 | 1 | 11+12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Billy Sharp | 19 | 5 | 7+9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | FRA | Lys Mousset | 13 | 0 | 2+9 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | SCO | Oliver Burke | 30 | 2 | 14+11 | 1 | 0+4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | IRL | David McGoldrick | 40 | 9 | 27+8 | 8 | 3+1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Rhian Brewster | 30 | 0 | 11+16 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | ENG | Antwoine Hackford | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | FW | ENG | Daniel Jebbison | 4 | 1 | 3+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player(s) out on loan: ||||||||||||
| 21 | GK | NED | Michael Verrips | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goals

    As of 6 April 2021
| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | Premier League | League Cup | FA Cup | Total |
| 1 | 17 | | CF | David McGoldrick | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | 10 | | CF | Billy Sharp | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | 20 | | DF | Jayden Bogle | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | 14 | | CF | Oliver Burke | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | 9 | | CF | Oli McBurnie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | 29 | | DF | Kean Bryan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | 8 | | CM | Sander Berge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | 26 | | CM | Ben Osborn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | 6 | | DF | Chris Basham | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 38 | | CF | Daniel Jebbison | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 20 | 1 | 5 | 26 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 17 July 2020 | GK | Wes Foderingham | Rangers | Free transfer |
| 19 August 2020 | GK | Aaron Ramsdale | Bournemouth | Undisclosed |
| 25 August 2020 | CB | Kacper Łopata | Brighton & Hove Albion | Free transfer |
| 7 September 2020 | LB | Max Lowe | Derby County | Undisclosed |
| 7 September 2020 | RB | Jayden Bogle | Derby County | Undisclosed |
| 9 September 2020 | RW | Oliver Burke | West Bromwich Albion | Undisclosed |
| 9 September 2020 | CM | Ismaila Coulibaly | Sarpsborg 08 | Undisclosed |
| 2 October 2020 | FW | Rhian Brewster | Liverpool | Undisclosed |

### Loans in

| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Date until | Ref. |
| 7 September 2020 | CB | | Ethan Ampadu | Chelsea | 30 June 2021 | |

### Loans out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Date until |
| 2 July 2020 | LW | Stephen Mallon | Derry City | 30 November 2020 |
| 30 July 2020 | GK | Jake Eastwood | Kilmarnock | 1 January 2021 |
| 6 August 2020 | CF | Tyler Smith | Swindon Town | End of season |
| 27 August 2020 | GK | Marcus Dewhurst | Carlisle United | 1 January 2021 |
| 28 August 2020 | AM | Luke Freeman | Nottingham Forest | End of season |
| 3 September 2020 | LB | Rhys Norrington-Davies | Luton Town | End of season |
| 8 September 2020 | CB | Sam Graham | Notts County | 1 January 2021 |
| 9 September 2020 | CM | Ismaila Coulibaly | Beerschot | End of season |
| 10 September 2020 | CF | David Parkhouse | Hartlepool United | 1 January 2021 |
| 29 September 2020 | CB | Kamarl Grant | Gainsborough Trinity | October 2020 |
| 30 September 2020 | DM | Regan Slater | Hull City | End of season |
| 6 October 2020 | RB | Ashton Hall | Guiseley | 2 January 2021 |
| 14 October 2020 | LB | Harry Boyes | Bradford (Park Avenue) | January 2021 |
| 24 December 2020 | AM | Daniel Jebbison | Chorley | 2021 |
| 12 January 2021 | LB | Rhys Norrington-Davies | Stoke City | End of season |

### Transfers out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 July 2020 | CM | Ta'Shae Andall-Gibbons | Unattached | Released |
| 1 July 2020 | RM | Mark Duffy | Fleetwood Town | Released |
| 1 July 2020 | CF | Leon Clarke | Shrewsbury Town | Released |
| 1 July 2020 | DF | Kieron Freeman | Swindon Town | Released |
| 1 July 2020 | AM | Oliver Greaves | Unattached | Released |
| 1 July 2020 | AM | Callum Gribbin | Barrow | Released |
| 1 July 2020 | CB | Ben Heneghan | AFC Wimbledon | Released |
| 1 July 2020 | LW | Ricky Holmes | Retired | Retired |
| 1 July 2020 | LW | Nathan Thomas | Hamilton Academical | Released |
| 1 July 2020 | CM | Reece York | Unattached | Released |
| 7 July 2020 | AM | Ravel Morrison | ADO Den Haag | Released |
| 16 July 2020 | FW | Jake Young | Forest Green Rovers | Free transfer |
| 4 August 2020 | FW | Sam Ackroyd | Unattached | Released |
| 4 August 2020 | DF | Harrison Foulstone | Gainsborough Trinity | Released |
| 4 August 2020 | GK | Sam Kelly | Unattached | Released |
| 4 August 2020 | MF | Connor Leak-Blunt | Unattached | Released |
| 2 September 2020 | GK | Christopher Farrugia | Santa Lucia | Free transfer |
| 9 September 2020 | LW | Callum Robinson | West Bromwich Albion | Undisclosed |

## Pre-season and friendlies

Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Competitions
### Overview

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| Premier League | 14 September 2020 | 23 May 2021 | Matchday 1 | 20th | 38 | 7 | 2 | 29 | 20 | 63 | −43 | 018.42 |
| FA Cup | 9 January 2021 | 21 March 2021 | Third round | Quarter-finals | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 075.00 |
| EFL Cup | 17 September 2020 | 17 September 2020 | Second round | Second round | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 000.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 43 | 10 | 3 | 30 | 27 | 69 | −42 | 023.26 |
Last updated: 23 May 2021 Source: Soccerway

### Premier League
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 40 | 46 | −6 | 41 | |
| 17 | Burnley | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 33 | 55 | −22 | 39 | |
| 18 | Fulham (R) | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 27 | 53 | −26 | 28 | Relegation to EFL Championship |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion (R) | 38 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 35 | 76 | −41 | 26 | Relegation to EFL Championship |
| 20 | Sheffield United (R) | 38 | 7 | 2 | 29 | 20 | 63 | −43 | 23 | Relegation to EFL Championship |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 23 May 2021. Source:

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | L | L | L | L | D | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | D | L | L | L | W | L | W | L | W | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | W | L | W |
| Position | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |

#### Matches

The 2020–21 season fixtures were released on 20 August.