Oliver Burke features: Sheffield United's 5 biggest transfer flop signings from recent times | OneFootball

FLW looks at five Sheffield United signings in recent times that were huge disappointments.

Sheffield United have had plenty of ups and downs over the last two decades, in terms of both results and player signings.

The Blades have struggled to find consistency in recent years as they have floated between the Premier League, Championship, and even League One for a few years.

In the last seven years alone, there have been three promotions and two relegations for Sheffield United, so it is difficult for them to find real consistency.

The club currently find themselves in the Championship under Chris Wilder, who has delivered plenty of success to the club in the past, but the goal is, of course, to return to the Premier League.

Over the years, Sheffield United have made countless signings, with some going on to be club legends. The likes of Billy Sharp, Ollie Norwood and John Egan will go down as some of the club's best signings in recent times and have really made a name for themselves at Bramall Lane.

Others, however, will be remembered at Bramall Lane for all the wrong reasons. Today, FLW looks at five Sheffield United signings whose time at the club did not go to plan.

Oliver Burke

Oliver Burke's senior career has been very stop-start as he has never been able to truly stand out at a club for a long period of time. In fact, the club he has made the most appearances for in his career is Sheffield United, where he only featured 36 times.

Burke was highly rated as a youngster at Nottingham Forest and earned a move to RB Leipzig when he was just 19-year-old. Fast-forward four years and the Scotsman had signed for the Blades on a three-year deal.

There was a lot of hype around his name, but he failed to deliver, scoring just one goal in 14 Premier League starts as the club suffered relegation to the Championship.

Luke Freeman

When Sheffield United achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2019, they looked to reinforce their squad, and that included the signing of Luke Freeman.

Freeman had been QPR's standout performer for the last couple of seasons and finally earned his long-awaited Premier League move. However, the attacking midfielder never really got a run of games and was soon loaned out to Nottingham Forest and Millwall, as injuries got the better of him.

Dean Hammond

Going back a bit further, Dean Hammond was signed in the summer of 2014 when the club were in League One. It was a signing that made a lot of sense, as Hammond had previously earned two promotions with the then-Sheffield United boss, Nigel Adkins, but it did not go to plan.

The Blades endured an unspectacular campaign in League One, and at the end of the season, Hammond activated a contract extension, despite the club placing him on the transfer market. It was an unpopular decision in the eyes of the club and the fans, and ultimately he was released and never played professionally again.

Ben Woodburn

Ben Woodburn signed on loan from Liverpool in 2018, and his name came with a lot of hype. He was known for being Liverpool's youngest ever goalscorer at 17 years and 45 days, and he was now looking for his first taste of regular men's football.

However, it did not quite go that way. Woodburn managed just seven league appearances for the Blades before an injury in December cut his loan spell short, and he returned to Liverpool.

Samir Carruthers

Another player that arrived with plenty of hype but failed to deliver for Sheffield United was Samir Carruthers. The central midfielder had previously made a name for himself at MK Dons, where he achieved promotion to the Championship, before signing for League One Sheffield United a year later.

Carruthers made just two starts in the Blades' League One winning season, before making just four in the following season in the Championship. He was hardly given a run of games at Bramall Lane before leaving by mutual consent.