Chris Wilder will need to change parts of the squad if he wants to build on this season.

The Blades have excelled in their return to the Championship because they have a chance to finish in the play-offs with three games remaining.

They are currently in ninth place with three points separating them from Millwall in sixth place. Their remaining games are against Birmingham City, Preston and Bristol City, so it will be a tough ask.

Regardless, this season has been better than expected from fans and neutrals alike, but the squad will need to be trimmed down if they want to bring in more players suited to this level and, therefore, keep on progressing.

Here are three players likely to leave...

Lafferty has barely featured this season after playing a key role in their League One promotion push last season. He only has eight appearances in the league this season. The majority of these were from the bench because he only has 199 league minutes, according to WhoScored.

He has lost the starting left-back/ left wing-back position to Enda Stevens who has thrived in that role. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him leave with Wilder opting to bring in someone who provides proper competition to Stevens for the role.

The jump up to the Championship appears to be a step too far for Lafferty, so he needs to move back down in order to get consistent gametime.

Carruthers is similar to Lafferty because he played an important role last season, although he joined in January. His appearances have been limited this season with just 14 in the league. Only four of these were starts and he only has 415 minutes.

Central midfield is an area which Wilder has strengthened over the past two transfer windows which has come at the expense of Carruthers, and this doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.

He isn't going to break into the starting XI because United have a relatively settled first-team which has produced results throughout the season, so it's in his best interests to move away.

Evans signed for United in May 2017 with the hope that he would have an impact in the Championship, but that hasn't transpired.

He has made nine appearances with just two starts for a total of 207 minutes and is yet to score or provide an assist. Leon Clarke, Billy Sharp, James Wilson and Clayton Donaldson are all above him in the pecking order.

Wilson is on loan, so Evans will move to fourth in the striking pecking order once he leaves. However, the fact that Wilder decided to bring him on loan in January in the first place suggests that there is no place in the team for Evans.