Sheffield United player announces pregnancy with daughter of manager Chris Wilder

A Sheffield United star has announced he is expecting a baby with the daughter of manager Chris Wilder.

Wilder is in his third spell with the Blades, returning in September 2025 after a short break following the sacking of Ruben Selles after a poor run of form.

The Yorkshire outfit are currently 17th in the Championship after 42 games, with Wilder enjoying a win ratio of 42% in his latest run.

But the 58-year-old is celebrating for different reasons after his daughter Martha announced her pregnancy with partner Ollie Arblaster - one of his Sheff United players.

On Instagram, the pair posted a series of polaroid snaps, including pictures of the ultrasound baby scan. The collaborative post was shared with the caption, "+1 (loveheart)".

The pregnancy was announced on Instagram. Image: Instagram/@oli.arblaster

The post was inundated with supportive messages from Arblaster's Sheff United teammates, as well as family members and friends.

The couple have been in a long-term relationship, with Martha said to be studying Fashion Business at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Arblaster came through the ranks at United, joining as a six-year-old and eventually going on to make his debut in the 2023/24 season when the club were in the Premier League.

Disaster struck in the following season when the midfielder suffered an ACL injury in the derby against rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

He eventually returned to fitness following a lengthy spell on the sidelines and has made 18 appearances in all competitions.

Wilder has made no reference to Arblaster dating his daughter but leapt to the defence of the 22-year-old back in September following criticism after he took a while to get back into the swing of things following his injury.

“If there’s any criticism out there it’s completely unjust,” Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield.

“Next time, if it’s Oli or anyone else, I’m going to allow him to make his own way back in the time it should be for a player who’s missed over 13 months with a cruciate knee injury.

“I won’t recognise he wants to help the team out. I will basically say to players with that type of injury, you’re going through the whole process of playing under-21s for a month and when you come back, you might still not be at your best but you won’t be criticised because you’ll be at a level you were close to when you came out of the team.”