'There won’t be a Blades fan out there that doesn’t wish Fleck the best'

Ben Meakin, BladesPod

There was one surprise late move by the Blades right at the end of the transfer window, as John Fleck moved on a permanent deal to Blackburn Rovers.

It was a slightly anti climactic end for someone who will be rightly remembered as a modern Blades great.

Fleck was one of Chris Wilder’s first signings as United boss, and undoubtedly one of his very best. The ultimate box-to-box midfielder, Fleck was a free transfer from Coventry City in the summer of 2016 and absolutely instrumental in our rise from League One to the Premier League.

Looking back, it’s amazing to me that he only scored 15 goals in red and white as almost all of them are firmly lodged in the memory.

His tone-setting freekick in the 4-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday in September 2017 will be talked about among Blades fans for decades to come, and he also scored limb-inducing goals against Manchester United and Arsenal in our first season back in the top flight.

Despite scoring in the most famous derby win in the last thirty years, my favourite Fleck goal will always be the one at Northampton in April 2017.

After six years in the League One doldrums, United were all-but certain of promotion with plenty of games to play and this one balanced at 1-1.

Fleck, though, had other ideas, powering into the box in his trademark style and stabbing in an 88th minute winner to prompt an inevitable pitch invasion from the thousands of Blades in attendance as promotion was mathematically clinched.

It was a goal that halted a decade-long decline for Sheffield United, and sent the club in the other direction instead.

Six years on, injuries have taken their toll on Fleck and it was a surprise to see him given another year with United last summer.

Now, he has the chance to rediscover form and fitness back in the second tier. There won’t be a Blades fan out there that doesn’t wish him the best.