Chris Wilder in frame if Sheffield United sack Paul Heckingbottom

Sheffield United will consider a shock return for Chris Wilder if Paul Heckingbottom cannot turn around results after the club’s former manager patched up his relationship with owner Prince Abdullah bin Musaid Al Saud.

Having achieved promotion from the Championship last season, Heckingbottom is already facing pressure, following his team’s fourth Premier League defeat of the season at Tottenham Hotspur.

Sheffield United were beaten by two stoppage-time goals by Spurs, having also narrowly lost to Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, and drawn with Everton.

Despite some encouraging performances and late slips, Heckingbottom must now find a way of securing victories to avoid his job being under threat.

It is understood former manager Wilder, who left the club in 2021 following a breakdown in his relationship with the owners, would be under consideration to replace Heckingbottom.

Speaking with the Sheff United Way podcast, Prince Abdullah revealed how he and Wilder had settled their differences and are now in touch again.

Explaining how he regretted not appointing Wilder instead of Nigel Adkins in 2015, Prince Abdullah said: “I said it could have been different one year earlier with Chris Wilder, who, by the way, I now have a very good relationship with. We’ve met many times.

“Chris told me many things that, really, I was very glad that he said about his experience at Sheffield, about the things that went wrong and how he wished that it would have been different. I tell you now, if I need a consultation, I’ll call Chris and ask about anything.”

Wilder achieved promotion from League One and the Championship with Sheffield United. He kept the club in the Premier League before leaving by mutual consent in March 2021.

Heckingbottom secured promotion back to the top flight last season, for which Prince Abdullah partially credits Wilder.

“You know the promotion, I really think that part of that also was down to Chris because most of our players there were bought by Chris Wilder,” said Prince Abdullah. “This is number one and number two, I really think that Chris has a special place in the history of the club and we can never repay him.

“I really think Chris is a better manager now than two years ago because it’s one thing when you’re always successful, but when you have some adversity, and ups and downs, you become a better man, you have more experience.”