Chris Wilder suggests Ruben Selles made a really ‘smart’ signing before Sheffield United axe

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Ruben Selles was sacked by Sheffield United earlier in September, but he has left Chris Wilder with something of a gift at Bramall Lane.

Chris Wilder secured Sheffield United’s first Championship win of the season by haunting a former club on Saturday.

The Blades beat Oxford United 1-0 as Callum O’Hare secured three priceless points on the road.

Wilder returned to Sheffield as the Ruben Selles era came to a rather swift end, but he will be thanking the Spaniard now.

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Chris Wilder praises Sheffield United’s deal to sign Ben Mee

Selles brought in three new permanent signings on transfer deadline day.

Alex Matos, Mark McGuinness, and Ben Mee all arrived in permanent moves, while Chiedozie Ogbene came in on loan.

Matos and McGuinness came in for undisclosed fees, but Mee was a free transfer addition after leaving Premier League side Brentford.

Mee made his Blades debut on Saturday, and he helped keep a clean sheet in a huge 1-0 win.

Sheffield United fans praised Mee for his display, with the 36-year-old needing little time to get up to speed.

Wilder has now told Sheffield United’s official website that he wanted to start Mee after losing 1-0 to Charlton Athletic.

Mee was signed under Selles, and Wilder feels that his predecessor made a ‘smart signing’ by landing the former Burnley star.

Wilder is delighted to see Mee make a big impact off the back of little match action, and highlighted his experience as a key factor.

“Ben Mee’s got plenty of plaudits for his performance at the weekend. He got shoved towards the away end to receive a bit of acclaim,” said Wilder.

“He’s a smart signing. I like the idea of Ben coming into the football club. I still think it goes amiss in terms of how young the group are, and it was last season. We were the third youngest group in the division.

“So, getting Ben in the team, I was contemplating that for the Charlton game. It was quite a difficult decision to make. I just felt that Ben needed a little bit more work. He played 45 minutes for the under-21s that week. But one of my big takeaways after the Charlton game was that we need to get Ben Mee into the team,” he added.

Ben Mee shines for Sheffield United despite ‘rusty’ display

Mee has spoken to the Sheffield Star about his display and admitted feeling ‘rusty’ after months out of the game.

Mee appreciated the support from Blades fans, even if he didn’t love the attention of being pushed towards the away fans at Oxford.

“It was nice, obviously, to get that,” said Mee. “I felt a bit rusty at times, and things will get better for me, I’m sure. It was nice to get a little reception from the fans, obviously, but I don’t like the attention too much.

“I thought the boys were fantastic. I think everyone deserved a good round of applause. Hopefully, that’s something to build on, and we could reward them. They’re a fantastic bunch of fans. I’ve experienced being at Bramall Lane as an opposition player, and I’ve seen how they travel as well.

“Hopefully I can put in some good performances and please them, please the manager and the players I’m playing with as well. Hopefully, we’ll all get a good relationship going,” he added.

Wilder now faces a decision on whether to start Mee again on Tuesday night, as Southampton visit Bramall Lane.

Two games in the space of a few days may be a big ask, but it isn’t easy to drop Mee after such a fantastic debut performance.