Sheffield United: Jack Rodwell signs for rest of season

Rodwell scored one goal in his 22 appearances for Blackburn last season

Sheffield United have signed former Everton and Sunderland midfielder Jack Rodwell on a short-term contract until the end of the season.

The 28-year-old, who has been a free agent since leaving Blackburn in the summer, has been training with Sheffield United since December.

He was criticised for the way he came across in the Netflix series Sunderland 'Til I Die, set during 2017-18.

"There is a lot of nonsense that has been talked about Jack," said Wilder.

"There might be a club in the north-east who might chuckle over stuff about Jack Rodwell, but there's two parts to that story."

Rodwell was shown refusing to agree to the cancellation of his contract - reportedly worth £70,000 a week at one stage - although it was terminated in June 2018 following the club's relegation to League One.

"I'm not a lover of fly-on-the wall documentaries, they're always looking for a villain." said Wilder, who said Rodwell's deal has the option of an extension.

"From my point of view, that's history. All the boxes that I needed to tick, and Jack needed to tick, he has done.

"I've sat down with him for quite a long time and spoke about his career going forward; it aligns with the club's goals.

"He plays a number of positions and hopefully we can get him going."

Rodwell, who won the last of his three England caps in June 2013, is eligible for Sunday's FA Cup third-round tie against non-league AFC Fylde at Bramall Lane.

A former England under-16 and under-18 captain as he came through the ranks at Everton, Rodwell was signed by Manchester City for £12m in 2012.

However he left Etihad Stadium for Sunderland in 2014, after playing just 26 games in two seasons.

He fell out of favour, training with the Wearside club's under-23 squad and making only two senior appearances in his final season.

He made 22 appearances for Blackburn last season in the Championship, but failed to agree a contract extension. He was linked with a move to Roma in October.

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