Sheffield United are said to be one of three English sides who are eyeing a move for former Derby County winger Johnny Russell this summer, with the Sun also claiming that Newcastle United and Fulham are both considering moves for the 31-year-old. 

The ageing forward has been in fine form for his current side Kansas City out in the MLS and may well consider a return to England at the end of the current campaign.

With 25 goals in 84 appearances since moving to America from County back in 2018, Russell has slowly got back to his best and is said to have been enquired about by the Blades as they prepare for their return to the Sky Bet Championship next season.

The Glasgow born attacker has a contract with the Wizards until December of this year and could well be set to assess his options as other clubs begin to circle.

Here, we take a look at the TWO potential impacts on Sheffield United if they sign up Russell in the near future...

Switch to a system with out and out wingers

Currently the Blades are operating with three forward players who are deployed centrally in a 3-4-3 formation, which can sometimes snooker these options as they become man marked out of the game by better sides.

The addition of Russell would in theory offer a lot more width in the final third for the club as opposed to just utilising their wingbacks.

Capable of playing both on the right or left flank, the 31-year-old offers a blend of creativity and cutting edge from the flanks that the club currently lacks and could make a difference in those areas.

This means that the club's next incoming manager could well switch to a formation which employs out and out wingers in order to facilitate the arrival of Russell.

Striker could leave

Sheffield United currently possess an abundance of strikers and the potential addition of Russell could well pave the way for one of the club's existing frontmen to leave Bramall Lane.

The likes of David McGoldrick and Billy Sharp aren't getting any younger, whilst there are question marks over the likes of Rhian Brewster and Ollie McBurnie, with neither striker having found form in the top flight this term.

Oliver Burke has also been used up fort on occasion as the Blades desperately attempted to solve their goalscoring issues.

The signing of Russell would surely see one of up to seven different striking options leave, with there currently being far too many in line for a starting spot at present.