Sheffield United’s Oliver Norwood’s emotional farewell as club confirm exit

Oliver Norwood is preparing for an emotional farewell to Sheffield United this weekend. The former Northern Ireland star will play his final game for the Blades on Sunday against Tottenham Hotspur.

That final is being played at Bramall Lane, ensuring it will be a thrilling send-off for Norwood and several other players leaving this summer, including Max Lowe, Chris Basham, George Baldock and Wes Foderingham.

Sheffield United said in a statement: “The Blades can confirm that Chris Basham, George Baldock, Oliver Norwood, Wes Foderingham and Max Lowe will leave the club when their contracts expire this summer.

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“The players mentioned above will each embark on new chapters in their careers after this campaign, having helped the Blades to success during their spells at Bramall Lane.

“They share a total of nine promotions in their Blades career and the club sees fit to release this news before the end of the campaign to allow them to receive appreciation from Unitedites for their contributions. With the visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, United is the end of the campaign, special thanks will be paid to the five, with further tributes across the club’s digital platforms.

“The five players will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for the contribution they have made to Sheffield United Football Club. Further news regarding the future of the other current members of the squad will follow in due course.”

Norwood shared a picture of his last day at Sheffield United’s training ground. He posted a photo on Instagram Stories with the simple message: “One last time. The best six years of my career.”

The 33-year-old initially joined the Blades on loan before making the move permanent in January 2019. He won promotion to the Premier League under Chris Wilder and Paul Heckingbottom.

This season, Sheffield United finished bottom of the Premier League and are now preparing to return to the Championship.

Norwood won 57 caps for Northern Ireland but retired from international football in August 2019 aged 28.

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