Oliver Norwood's emotional Sheffield United farewell as club confirms exit

Oliver Norwood is preparing for an emotional farewell to Sheffield United this weekend. The former Northern Ireland star will play his last game for the Blades on Sunday against Tottenham Hotspur.

That finale is being played at Bramall Lane, ensuring it will be a rousing send-off for Norwood and several other players who are leaving this summer, including Max Lowe, Chris Basham, George Baldock and Wes Foderingham.

Sheffield United said in a statement: "The Blades can confirm Chris Basham, George Baldock, Oliver Norwood, Wes Foderingham and Max Lowe will leave the club when their contracts expire this summer.

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"The aforementioned players will each embark on new chapters in their careers following the conclusion of this campaign, having helped the Blades to success during their spells at Bramall Lane.

"They share a total of nine promotions in their Blades careers and the club see fit to release this news ahead of the end of the campaign to enable them to receive acclaim from Unitedites for their contributions. With the visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday being United's final fixture of the campaign, special acknowledgements will be paid to the five, with further tributes across the club's digital platforms.

"The five players will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for the contribution they have made to Sheffield United Football Club. Further news with regards to the futures of other current squad members will follow in due course."

Norwood shared an image of his final day at Sheffield United's training ground. He posted a photograph on his Instagram Stories with the simple message: "One last time. The best six years of my career."

The 33-year-old joined the Blades on loan initially before making the move permanent in January 2019. He won promotion to the Premier League under Chris Wilder and Paul Heckingbottom.

This season Sheffield United finished bottom of the Premier League and are now preparing to return to the Championship.

Norwood earned 57 caps for Northern Ireland but stepped away from international football in August 2019 at the age of 28.

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