Up for grabs: Ex-Aston Villa man who became Portsmouth and Sheffield United hero and serial promotion winner

Now the classy Enda Stevens is looking for a new club at the age of 32.

The left-back has left Bramall Lane following two promotions, 202 games and nine goals, including featuring regularly for them in the Premier League.

Stevens’ most recent seasons have been hindered by injury, with 13 appearances this term as the Blades finished second in the Championship to secure a top-flight return.

Yet he will forever be fondly remembered by United supporters as a key part of their resurgence under Chris Wilder, culminating in a two-year Premier League stay.

Indeed, the Fratton faithful also share an immense affection for a player whose final Pompey act was to help them to the League Two title in May 2017.

At the time, the Irishman was The News/Sports Mail’s Player Of The Season, while had been crowned the Players’ Player Of The Year in both his Fratton Park campaigns.

Yet the chance to join a Sheffield United team newly-promoted to the Championship was powerfully persuasive, resulting in him departing Pompey on a free transfer.

As it turned out, Stevens would spend seven seasons with the Blades, a period which also saw him break into the Republic of Ireland team, featuring 25 times.

In addition, there were 68 appearances and two goals in the Premier League, netting against Norwich and Brighton, before relegation at the end of 2020-21.

Yet, in June 2015, following his release from Aston Villa, Stevens arrived at League Two Pompey seeking to rebuild a career which had begun to stagnate.

The defender became the third signing of the Cook era, arriving after Kyle Bennett and Kal Naismith, and, during the next two years at Fratton Park, missed just two league fixtures.

Shining as an attacking left-back, he established himself as one of the stars of that impressive Blues side and, unsurprisingly, was a popular player among supporters.

His sole goal arrived at Newport County on Boxing Day in December 2016, enabling Pompey to fight back from 2-0 down to claim a 3-2 success.

Many suspected the visit of Cheltenham on the final day of the 2016-17 season would represent his Blues farewell – and so it proved.

After helping Cook’s men to a 6-1 success in May 2017, thereby winning the League Two title in dramatic circumstances, he sat on the home dressing room’s physiotherapy couch in tears.

Just 12 days later, after 99 Pompey games and one goal, it was announced Stevens had completed a free transfer switch to Sheffield United, where he remained until this week.

From that successful Blues side, the likes of Matt Clarke, Jamal Lowe, Kal Naismith and Christian Burgess moved on to better things.

Yet none have matched the Irishman’s subsequent pathway, both domestically and internationally.