Sheffield United’s Billy Sharp comments on brief Leeds United spell, admits his son still supports them

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The boyhood Sheffield United supporter says he always wanted to play for Leeds.

Billy Sharp has conceded he may have trouble convincing one of his sons to support Sheffield United, after his spell on the other side of the county at Leeds.

Sharp left Elland Road in the summer of 2015, after spending only a year with the Whites, to return for a third spell at Sheffield United.

The 30-year-old grew up a Blade and began his career at Bramall Lane, but speaking on Sheffield Live TV he revealed that, “for some reason”, he always wanted to play for Leeds. And Sharp Jnr, it appears, has caught the same bug.

“Hopefully they’ll (his sons) want to be Sheffield United fans,” Sharp said. “Leo obviously remembers Leeds and Doncaster – he always winds me up about the fact he still likes Leeds. Like I said, if he supports Leeds it’s better than (Sheffield) Wednesday!”

Asked about his time in West Yorkshire, the Blades striker replied: “Very different, but I enjoyed it. It was only a short time there – one season, four managers!

“I couldn’t have started any better – I trained on the Friday and scored in a 1-0 Sky game on the Saturday. I took my shirt off and the fans seemed to click with me.”

Such was the rate of Leeds’ managerial turnovers, Sharp had some trouble remembering the name of gaffer number 2, Darko Milanic.

“I can’t remember them either,” he joked. “(David) Hockaday, Redders (Neil Redfearn), Milan… Darko… whatever his name is.

“Uwe (Rosler) was honest with me. He said I wasn’t going to be his first choice striker. When we went on our pre-season tour I thought I was looking pretty good and, you know, I’ll fight for my place. But as soon as I heard that Sheffield United was in for me it sort of turned my head.”

Sharp played 35 times for Leeds, with many of his appearances coming from the substitutes’ bench, and scored five goals.

By his own admission, the former Scunthorpe and Southampton striker is in the best form of his career at Sheffield United, where he has scored 26 goals in little over a year.