Discovery+ and Quest pundit Ian Holloway was full of praise for Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp speaking before the club's important victory over Stoke City.

One of the unsung heroes of Sheffield United's remarkable rise under Chris Wilder has to be Sharp. The Blades' club captain has led by example in 2021/22 as United look for an immediate return to the Premier League.

The 35-year-old has evolved his game to add to his ever growing skill set and has hit the ground running with eight direct goal involvements in 14 games to begin the campaign.

The Blades earned a statement 2-1 victory over Stoke City on Saturday and are firmly looking up the table under Slavisa Jokanovic. After a slow start to the season being just five points off the top six after 12 games has been an excellent recovery and one that Sharp has been at the forefront of.

When asked what he has made of Sharp's form despite his age, Ian Holloway exclusively told Football League World:

"He's been a bane of my life, I think he always scored against any team I ever took up there. I love Billy Sharp, I can only revel in his skill level so I just find it very difficult that he didn't start more last season when they needed goals.

"Who am I to tell Chris Wilder what to do? But he tried to buy some young ones to get some goals, but for me I'd have stuck with Sharpy all day long, what a season he's having and it just goes to show what a shining example of how to live your life, no matter what happens you keep going. Well done to Billy and his family, absolute legend of a player in my opinion."

Sharp is keeping the likes of Oliver McBurnie and Rhian Brewster out of the team at the moment and will be hoping to sustain his form to play a key role in the Blades' promotion push as the season progresses.

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