Wilson wants Blackman to stay with Blades

Sheffield United manager Danny Wilson has expressed his desire to keep hold of Nick Blackman, with Sky Sports reporting that the striker was subject to a bid from Championship side Crystal Palace.

Blackman joined the Blades from Blackburn Rovers in August for an undisclosed fee.  He played only three games in all competitions during his time at Ewood Park, being sent out on loan to the Championship, League One and the SPL.  His most successful spell was at Motherwell, where he scored 10 goals in just 18 league games.

Since arriving at Bramall Lane, Blackman has found the net 11 times during Sheffield United’s second successive year in the third division.  The club will undoubtedly be desperate to gain promotion in this campaign after narrowly missing out last season.  To do that, however, they will need to keep hold of their best players, with the 23-year-old certainly being one of them.

Moving straight to the Premier League from Macclesfield town in 2009, perhaps the jump was too much too soon for the striker, who was barely 19 years old at the time.  Now in good form with a few seasons’ worth of experience under his belt, can Blackman work his way back to the top?

Follow @TonyDefc