Sheffield United have had a fine start to the season, with Chris Wilder's men currently leading the way in the Championship.

The lifelong fan has done a magnificent job at Bramall Lane, initially guiding the club to the League One title in style and he now has them as genuine promotion contenders.

There has to be a lot of optimism around the club given the direction they seem to be heading under Wilder and it will certainly be appreciated by fans after the dreadful years that had to endure in League One.

The Blades found it tough to get out of the third tier, with poor recruitment a major issue at times, whilst the current boss hasn't always got it right in the market despite his excellent work overall.

Here we look at FOUR of the worst Sheffield United signings in the past five years...

The experienced midfielder is synonymous with the disastrous Nigel Adkins era at Sheffield United.

Hammond was way past his best when he arrived in Yorkshire and was a player on big wages who somehow became a regular as the Blades seriously struggled in League One despite their resources.

Another disappointment from the same season, the left-sided Woolford was supposed to add goals and creativity to the side but it didn't happen.

He netted just once before he was shipped out following Wilder's appointment.

There's no doubt that the Blades have bought worse individuals than Holmes over the years but he was a big disappointment, even if Wilder was to blame too.

He arrived in January last season and didn't seem suited to the 3-5-2 formation that the manager plays.

That meant his game time was limited and he has since moved on.

At the time, the Blades needed quality reinforcements to reignite a promotion push but Holmes didn't add anything to the team. It felt like a missed opportunity.

Similarly, Evans was another pointless signing.

He scored just five goals in 25 games in League One with Chesterfield, yet Wilder surprisingly brought him back to Bramall Lane with the club in the Championship.

Evans failed to score in nine league games and was way down the pecking order, leaving this summer after just one season to join Fleetwood.

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