Deane made his name at Bramall Lane, scoring 107 goals in 242 appearances for the Blades before sealing a ?2.9million move in 1993 to hometown club Leeds, for whom he played 198 times in two separate spells.
He said: "It's a difficult game for me because it's two clubs I love. I come here and Leeds are doing fantastically well this season and I go there and Sheffield United are not having a great one. I'm a supporter of both clubs and it's hard.
"If Sheffield United were to be relegated I would be devastated so I'm hoping they can stay up. It's going to be tough because they're second bottom.
"Their squad is paper thin at the moment and they had a couple of sending offs last weekend which won't help them against Leeds. It's a shame what has happened there.
"On the other side, Leeds are doing very well. They've had two or three years in League One and come up this season and Simon [Grayson] has done a fantastic job here and shown he's one of the up-and-coming managers in the country. It would be a bonus for me if Leeds went up and Sheffield United stayed up."
Source: PA
Source: PA