Chris Wilder said on Wednesday coronavirus restrictions banning supporters from football grounds had hurt Sheffield United as he reflected on his time in charge of the Premier League strugglers.
Wilder, a lifelong Blades fan, was sacked last month with the club bottom of the English top-flight.
Yet they were in third-tier League One when Wilder took over in 2016 and finished an impressive ninth in the Premier League last season.
“It has been some journey and one I’m immensely proud of,” said Wilder in a statement issued by the League Managers’ Association.
But he believes the impact of the pandemic had a particularly profound effect on the Blades’ dip in results.