Chris Wilder is set to leave his role as manager of Premier League bottom club Sheffield United, according to British media reports.
The Blades have won just four games in the Premier League this season and Saturday's 2-0 home defeat by Southampton left them on 14 points, 12 points adrift of the safety zone with 10 matches to play.
Their first league win did not come until 12 January, in their 18th game, when they beat Newcastle United.
Yorkshireman Wilder, 53, took charge of his boyhood club in 2016 after they finished 11th in League One (third tier).
He led them to two promotions in three years and their ninth-placed finish in the Premier League last season was their highest in the top-flight in 28 years.
Tensions between Wilder and club owner Abdullah Bin Musa'ad Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have heightened recently, with Wilder last week stating he did not know if he will be manager next season, despite confirming he wants to remain in charge at Bramall Lane if the board and owners "stick to the plan".
Sheffield United take on third-placed Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
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18th time lucky: player ratings from Blades' first win of season against Newcastle
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SHEFFIELD UNITED: Aaron Ramsdale - 6: Never had a real save to make against Newcastle’s toothless attack. AP -
Chris Basham - 7: Beaten to header by Wilson after half an hour but Magpies striker headed wide. Little problems apart from that but was sacrificed for attacking option early in second half. Getty -
John Egan - 8: The Blades defence barely gave Newcastle a sniff and Egan was a key part of that. Impressive performance. PA -
Ethan Ampadu - 7: Brilliant curling cross from left to McGoldrick was headed over by attacker in first half and his distribution out from the back was generally excellent. Will be wishing that he could play against that Newcastle attack every week, though. AP -
Jayden Bogle - 7: Looked to get on the front foot all night. Young midfielder twice denied a goal by fine Darlow stops but should have done better with his third attempt – a weak left-foot shot wide with teammates better placed on the hour. Almost catastrophic moment in last few seconds when he chested past Ramsdale and nearly into his own goal. Getty -
John Lundstram - 8: Two strikes in first 15 minutes that were both off-target, then should have tapped home McGoldrick cross late in opening half. Caused opposition lots of problems playing between the lines, particularly in opening half. Reuters -
Oliver Norwood - 7: A driving force in Sheffield United’s midfield but one sloppy pass in last 10 minutes almost lead to a Newcastle goal. AFP -
John Fleck - 7: The Scot helped his team dominate midfield from the start. Some nice one-touch play as Blades looked anything like a team without a league win all season. Clearly delighted with three points at final whistle. AFP -
Ben Osborn - 7: Provided the Blades with important width down the left and made life hard for Yedlin. Superb block on Hayden shot in first half. Another who played vital role as Chris Wilder’s team dominated the game. -
David McGoldrick - 8: Saw shot saved by Darlow after fine Blades move after 12 minutes and should have opened the scoring when he headed wide after half an hour. Lovely cross across six-yard box that Lundstram should have finished. Booked for clumsy foul on Longstaff on edge of own box in last minute and got himself into a bit of a exchange of handbags with Schar but did not detract from a man-of-the-match performance. -
Oliver Burke - 6: Some surging runs at the Newcastle defence but lacked final product. Hooked before hour mark. AFP -
SUBS: Rhian Brewster – (On for Basham 51’) 7: Record signing brought on as Blades looked to break down the 10-man Magpies. Quality first touch and dangerous ball across box that was crying out for a striker like, well, Rhian Brewster to finish. Positive attacking run ended with a low shot fired wide that would have made it 2-0. Nearly broke his duck for club with another shot that took a wicked deflection and struck the inside of post. AP -
Billy Sharp – (On for Burke 59’) 6: Pressure put on Fernandez resulted in handball and a penalty to Blades that the veteran finished himself, low into the bottom corner. Yellow card for awful tackle on Schar that could have been red. PA -
Phil Jagielka – (On for McGoldrick 90 +4). N/A. -
NEWCASTLE RATINGS: Karl Darlow - 7: Kept place ahead of Martin Dubravka and straight into action with good early save from McGoldrick. Solid stop when Bogle shot from inside the box just before half time, then another fine point-blank save from same player just after. Booked for time-wasting. Getty -
DeAndre Yedlin - 5: Has looked good since returning to first team duty but was poor here. Did win important header after half-time with Burke lurking with intent. PA -
Ciaran Clark - 6: Dropped a clanger in FA Cup defeat at Arsenal and looked nervy on a couple of occasions here but also plenty of important blocks and challenges as the Blades threw the kitchen sink at Newcastle. PA -
Federico Fernandez - 7: Centre-half was the unlikely provider of Newcastle’s first chance of game just before half-hour mark when his excellent cross from right was headed wide by Wilson. Absolutely superb tackle to deny Burke just before break who would have been through on goal. Penalty given against him for handball after VAR review that manager Bruce called "pathetic" after the match. Getty -
Fabian Schar - 5: Shaky at times as Newcastle struggled to keep out wave and after wave of attacks. Ludicrous attempt to lob Ramsdale from free-kick on half-way line in second half when team had been struggling to get possession. Victim of nasty tackle from behind by Sharp and lost his composure after that, was booked and could have seen red. AFP -
Paul Dummett - 5: Looked completely unsuited and out of his depth in left-wingback role. Helped when Newcastle reverted to flat back four after sending off but hobbled off injured with 20 minutes to go. Reuters -
Jeff Hendrick - 4: Guilty of some awful distribution in first half as Newcastle struggled for any rhythm, one decent cross into Wilson late on was his sole positive contribution going forward. Reuters -
Isaac Hayden - 5: Should have done better with header from Fraser corner in first half that he claimed hit a Sheffield United hand but referee and VAR rightly thought otherwise. Not at his best but still better than others. Booked late on. Getty -
Sean Longstaff - 4: Another of the Magpies midfield who struggled to find his own teammates with the ball. The fact there were no live pictures of him or Hendrick in possession of the ball tells the whole story. Getty -
Ryan Fraser - 3: Started in what seemed to be a more advanced role supporting Wilson but his first major impact was two idiotic challenges in a matter of minutes that resulted in a sending off just before half time. Reuters -
Callum Wilson - 6: An isolated figure up front even before the sending off. Headed good chance wide after 29 minutes and lobbed ball into net before half-time – but only having bulldozed through last man Bogle first for obvious free-kick. Headed chance straight at Ramsdale in last five minutes. PA -
SUBS: Matt Ritchie – (On for Dummett 74’) 6: Always gives 100 per cent but couldn’t lift deflated and defeated side on this occasion. AP -
Andy Carroll – (On for Fernandez 77’) N/A. Brought on with game lost. Must be frustrated as had done enough in last two matches to keep place in starting XI. Getty -
Jacob Murphy – (On for Yedlin 84) N/A. Hit free-kick from dangerous spot just outside of box straight at Ramsdale in injury time. Reuters
