I'm biased but there's still only one man to lead Sheffield United should a takeover happen

Declaring a vested interest straightaway here. I’m biased - in favour of Chris Wilder. If I was taking over an English football club (gladly I’m not) and its name was Sheffield United, I wouldn’t look any further for a manager.

Of course, I would say that. I’ve known the bloke for getting on for 40 years, conducted his first ever interview as a player and have enjoyed a friendly relationship ever since. Some of the best times of my career were covering the Blades’ Wilder-inspired uplift from League One to ninth in the Premier League.

It ranks him second among the United managers I’ve known, just behind Dave Bassett and just ahead of Neil Warnock and Paul Heckingbottom. Which doesn’t mean I’m blind to what normally happens when new owners take control. Having paid for the privilege, they are entitled to their own choice of manager and that is what usually happens.

As a result, these are perilous times for the current incumbent and I imagine Wilder himself would fully understand that. Further, he is too steeped in Bramall Lane as a lifelong fan of the club to object to anything that advances its cause.

If United are to get a much-needed injection of cash and a new manager becomes the beneficiary then, harsh as it may be, that’s how football works. Nobody is bigger than the club. And rumours linking former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper with the Lane were as predictable as night following day.

After all, the would-be owners from America have already enlisted a football consultant in ex-Bournemouth chief scout Des Taylor. Which, if the role carried overarching clout, would appear to conflict with Wilder’s hands-on style.

However … does anyone know what’s required better than the man in position? Is anyone more qualified, having done it before? Is anyone more passionately caring about it?

It’s true that some of his bigger signings (Rhian Brewster, Lys Mousset and latterly Ivo Grbic) have been flawed but the balance from the many who have punched way above what he paid is heavily in his favour.

One more question. Do the majority of Blades fans still trust Wilder and wish him to continue? I’m convinced they do. Further, he will have this summer mapped out in the form of myriad transfer possibilities. Targets will have been listed for months.

What will frustrate him is any delay on pressing the button on those. Takeover processes can be destructive, whether they happen or not. At this moment, it’s only from the inside that the club can drive forward, fronted by someone who embodies its DNA and wishes to restore it.

So even if this is a partisan view, it is not without support from people whose opinion counts for a lot more. And if you are buying a football club, it’s worth taking stock of your assets before launching into major changes. Assuming it happens, of course. We still don’t know any names behind the consortium, which is an important missing detail.