Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he's been left bamboozled by Chris Wilder's departure from Sheffield United.

Following almost two days of uncertainty, Wilder was finally relieved of his duties at Bramall Lane on Saturday evening, less than 24 hours before the Blades were thrashed by Leicester City.

Having guided Sheffield United from mid-table in League One to their highest Premier League finish last season, Wilder's sacking came as a major surprise to the footballing world, despite United sitting rock-bottom of the table and on course to be relegated.

Under-23s manager, Paul Heckingbottom, has been placed in temporary charge for the remainder of the campaign, but Windass believes that Wilder would have been the best man to take Sheffield United back into the topflight.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

"I don't see any sense in it if I'm being quite honest with you. I don't get the logic behind it. Yes Sheffield United will go down even if Jose Mourinho or Alex Ferguson would have got the job, but nothing is going to change. I don't understand it, unless there has been a massive row. There have been rumours of conflict between him and the hierarchy.

"The question on everybody's lips is can Sheffield United get straight back to the Premier League?

"With Chris Wilder you would have said 'yes', I'm not saying no about Paul Heckingbottom or whoever gets the job, but more so with Chris, because the players knew him, he's a local lad, he loves the club like me with Hull City, so it just doesn't make any sense."

And Wilder's absence was quickly felt following Sheffield United's 5-0 defeat at Leicester, which was their heaviest since their promotion back to the Premier League, and first time they conceded five in a league match for more than three years.