Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has explained his decision to release midfielder Paul Coutts, calling it the hardest decision of his career.
The 30-year-old has been an important player for the Blades over the past few seasons and was instrumental when the team won the League One title two seasons ago.
The midfielder suffered a horror leg break in a game against Burton Albion in 2017 and found it hard to re-established himself in the first-team after an 11-month spell on the sidelines, making 14 Championship appearances for the Blades this season.
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Coutts is out of contract at Bramall Lane in the summer and was one of several players to be released by the club, as Wilder looks to build a team who can compete in the Premier League next season.
Wilder explained that his decision to release the experienced midfielder is based on the fact that he cannot guarantee the player regular first-team football, calling it the hardest decision of his career.
"Sitting down with Paul was the hardest thing I have done in my career. It is really unfortunate, his story. But he is on board. He understands," said Wilder, as quoted by The Yorkshire Post.
"We are giving him the opportunity to find a new club. He is desperate to play. He wants to play 30 or 40 times a season and, unfortunately, we just cannot guarantee him that."
Sheffield United finished second in the Championship table, just missing out on the league title to Norwich City on the final day of the season.
The Verdict
You've got to sympathise with Wilder. Coutts has been an important player for Sheffield United over the past few seasons, so it would have been very difficult for the Blades boss to release him.
It's his job to make the important decisions though and this was one that needed to be made, as he starts to build a team that will compete in the Premier League next season.
At this stage of his career, Coutts needs to be playing regular first-team football and he was not going to be guaranteed that at Bramall Lane.
Thoughts? Let us know!