How vital are the next two games in shaping Blades' fortunes?

Ben Meakin, BladesPod

It feels like there's lots up in the air at Sheffield United heading into December, with so much likely to hinge on the next two games against Bournemouth (two places above us) and Burnley (two places below us).

It’s reductive to say that survival or relegation will be determined by those two matches, but the shape of the club could look very different in six months based on how they go.

Poor results in two of the kinder fixtures on the calendar will not only reignite debate about Paul Heckingbottom’s tenure, but there’s also every chance that the United hierarchy will see little point in investing further in the squad in January.

Should United pick up positive results, however – say, extending our unbeaten run to four games, and possibly even sneaking out of the relegation zone – then things could get interesting as we edge towards the next transfer window.

United made slightly baffling use of their loan allocation in the summer. Only one foreign loan was used, while one of the two domestic loan slots was spent on Championship wing-back Luke Thomas.

The opportunity is there - with fairly minimal spend - to bolster the squad with some overseas players who fancy showcasing themselves in the Premier League but won’t leave us on the hook financially should relegation occur anyway.

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