When Leeds United sold Billy Sharp to Sheffield United in 2015, few would have predicted his incredible impact at Bramall Lane in the eight years since.
How did Billy Sharp fare at Leeds United?
The English striker would spend just one season at Elland Road in the 2014/15 Championship campaign, netting only five goals in 35 appearances for the Peacocks.
It was easy to see why Sharp had been brought to Leeds, given his phenomenal goalscoring records with Scunthorpe United and Doncaster Rovers in particular, hitting 100 goals across his time with those two clubs.
There were few complaints therefore that the experienced frontman was sent back to the Blades for an undisclosed fee the following summer, but his performances since then suggest that Leeds might have been better off sticking with him.
Where is Billy Sharp now?
The Englishman was more than willing to drop down a division in order to help the Blades return to the second tier, and he was a massive part of their success in League One, hitting 21 league goals in his first season before firing them to the title in 2016/17 with 30 goals.
Another 13 goals came as Chris Wilder's side readjusted to life in the Championship, before he was the main man again the following season as they earned an unlikely promotion to the Premier League, with Sharp contributing a hugely impressive 23 goals and four assists in the 2018/19 term.
Leeds will already have been wishing that Sharp hadn't been sold back to Sheffield United at this point given that they would claim the second automatic promotion spot ahead of Leeds in third, with Marcelo Bielsa's side then falling short in the playoffs.
The veteran forward's game time in the Premier League was understandably limited but he still managed three goals in each of the Blades' seasons in the top flight, before marking his return to the Championship with another 14 goals and seven assists in the last campaign.
Sharp has understandably established himself as a club hero at Bramall Lane and is still contributing to their promotion push this season at the age of 37, with a return to the Premier League certainly looking on the cards for Paul Heckingbottom's side.
Upon the former Leeds striker turning 36, journalist James Shield wrote:
"Billy Sharp turns 36 today. He netted his 10th goal of the season against Birmingham City yesterday, after opposition manager Lee Bowyer had admitted the SUFC captain "scores them for fun." Those two numbers are ridiculous. In a good way."
Considering Sharp's incredible consistency and goalscoring record across the last eight years, which has seen him net 116 goals in all competitions, Leeds will surely be regretting letting him go so cheaply back in 2015.
