With less than a week until the Premier League season restarts Sheffield United duo Billy Sharp and Oliver Norwood have signed new contracts.
Sharp has penned his new contract to keep him at his boyhood club until 2022 and Norwood has committed to staying at Bramall Lane until 2023.
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Sharp looks to finish his career where it started
Billy Sharp is Sheffield United through and through. He came through the club's academy system and is currently enjoying his third and most successful stint at the club, captaining them to the League 1 title in 2017 plus promotion to the Premier League two years later.
He scored the first goal for the Blades on their return to the Premier League this season and was enjoying a goal-scoring spree before the season was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 34-year-old told the club's media: "This was a no brainer for me, personally. I've said previously about wanting to finish my career here and the talks were pretty simple.
"I want to be a part of this squad for the next two years and see what heights we can reach. The manager and the staff have pushed me to get fitter, stronger and have helped me become a better player. I was over the moon when the gaffer came to me and this feels like it is the best contract I've signed, but I've worked extremely hard on and off the pitch to earn the deal.
"I would have been looking over my shoulder going into my final year next season, but now I've got that bit of comfort which will enable me to keep working hard and contributing and I'm honestly really thankful to the gaffer who still sees me as having a role to play.
"We've done everything and more to be ready for the forthcoming restart, it's been an unprecedented time for everyone, but it's the same for all players and clubs and it's going to be down to us to ensure we finish the season as high as possible."
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Norwood 'grateful' for Sheffield United
Dynamic midfielder Oliver Norwood has also committed his future to the Blades, signing a new contract to keep him at Bramall Lane until 2023.
The former Northern Irish International has been a vital cog in the relentless Sheffield United machine since his arrival from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2018.
The 29-year-old told the club's media: "There's been a deadly pandemic that's hit the country, so it's taken more time then we'd have all hoped, but I honestly wouldn't have felt comfortable signing at a time when the club was in a bit of unknown in terms of what it would be losing financially.
"Obviously, though, I'm delighted to commit my future to a club that has had the best of me, but there is so much more to come as I continue to mature and grow as a player, it's not as though I'm going to lose my pace!
"I'll always be grateful to Sheffield United for giving me the chance to establish myself as a Premier League player, but we're not settling for where we are now. We've all been written off in the past, but now we've made people sit up and take notice, we've proved people wrong for a long time now and that's the mentality of the group.
"We're now ready to finish the season off and who knows where it will take us. The lockdown came at a bad time for us as I thought we were just finding top gear. It's been terrible seeing so many people lose their lives, though, so we're conscious of the real world out there, but at the same time football returning is a bit of light at the end of a long tunnel."
Sheffield United's first game back will take place on 17 June at 18:00 as they travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa.