talkSPORT's Simon Jordan slams Boro boss Chris Wilder's approach to questioning about Burnley vacancy

The ex-Sheffield United boss, who guided the Blades to a ninth place finish in the Premier League in 2019-20, has been reluctant to shoot down speculation in several post match interviews.

The 54-year-old, a close friend of departed Clarets chief Sean Dyche, is as short as 8/11 with some bookmakers to take on the challenge at Turf Moor.

That understandably dominated the line of questioning from various media outlets, with Wilder unable to provide a clear or concise answer.

The former Rotherham United full back had said: “I just don’t think there’s a way out of talking about it. I think it’s really unfair on anybody. I’m manager of Middlesbrough – nobody knows what’s around the corner for anything, do they?

"I don’t know what you want me to say or what you want me to do. You’re after me dropping my guard and saying something daft."

Wilder was still refusing to entertain questions about his future at the Riverside Stadium following a 2-0 loss at home to Huddersfield Town on Bank Holiday Monday. When interrupting a Sky Sports interviewer, he repeatedly said: "You don't need to ask me!"

That evasive attitude has led to a rather jarring tirade from talkSPORT pundit Jordan, who was far from amused at Wilder's antics.

In a conversation with presenter Jim White, he said: "It's really, really simple, Chris, the answer is: 'I'm the Middlesbrough manager, I'm not interested in Burnley'.

"That's the end of the discussion. He was saying: 'I don't know what you want me to say!' I've seen all this before; I've seen Steve Bruce do it to me. It's the classic case of positioning themselves to make sure that they're alright.

"I'm not an admirer of Chris Wilder's. I was an admirer of his when he took them [Sheffield United] through the divisions and put them into the Premier League; I loved his attitude and disposition.

"Then I watched him when times got tough, I watched him when he started to read his own press about what he'd done for Sheffield United in the previous year. I watched him suddenly start to disappear up his own backside."

Jordan's scathing attack continued: "With that in mind it's really tarnished my view of him because I thought he was something different from classic English managers that look after themselves and every reason for their success is down to them, every reason for their failure is down to everyone else.

"The bottom line, I would imagine, is that he is distinctly likely to go to Burnley. He doesn't want to answer the question, it isn't difficult. He's only been in the job for five minutes; I know that I'm speaking quite stridently, but if you don't want to go to Burnley — riddle me this, riddle me that — just say that you don't want to go to Burnley!

"The reason why you don't want to say it, is because you don't want to say it. We all know he's going to Burnley."