Paddy Kenny says he does not know why members of Slavisa Jokanovic's backroom team have not yet joined him at Sheffield United, but says it may not be long until an announcement is made.

Having been appointed as the Blades' new manager back in May, Jokanovic took charge of his first training session with his new squad on Thursday.

It was later reported that Nick Travis and Matt Duke, who were both members of Jokanovic's predecessor Chris Wilder's backroom team, were part of that session.

However, Jokanovic is said to be keen to add his own coaching staff at Bramall Lane, and it seems Kenny is unsure as to why those individuals have not already linked up with the Serbian.

Speaking to Football Insider about the coaching situation at his old club, Kenny - who made over 200 appearances for Sheffield United between 2002 and 2010 - said: “They’ve started pre-season already. I can’t see why he hasn’t brought everyone in for the first day when they come back.

“But we don’t know, the people he’s after might be at other clubs and have stuff to sort out. That might have put things on hold a bit in terms of getting people through the door. I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s sorted out and they can announce something.”

Sheffield United will of course be looking to bonce back next season after relegation from the Premier League during the 2020/21 campaign, and begin life back in the Championship with the visit of Birmingham City to Bramall Lane on the opening day of the season.

The Verdict

I do think that Kenny has a point with what he is saying here.

This is a vital season for the Blades as they look to recover from such a disappointing past few months, and they will have plenty of work to do if they are to succeed with that.

As a result, you would imagine the Blades would want to get Jokanovic's coaching team assembled as quickly as possible, to make sure they have as much time as they can to prepare for the new season.

With that in mind, it would not be a surprise if these appointments were to be made sooner rather than later, then the Blades can really start to step up their work ahead of the new campaign.