'Be positive' - Skipper's rallying cry to Sheffield United teammates ahead of trip to Liverpool

This weekend, the Sheffield United skipper and his teammates will board their team coaches and snake over the Pennines to Anfield, to face the reigning Premier League champions.

Playing behind closed doors can dampen the prestige of some games a little. Making the journey to face Salah, Thiago and Co. with one point on the board from five Premier League games is far from ideal.

But, as Sharp points out, these are occasions to relish for the Blades, rather than fear. Of the 14 United players that faced Fulham on Sunday, 11 have played in Leagues One and Two in the past while two, George Baldock and Oli McBurnie, have previous experience of the Conference on their professional CVs.

"No disrespect to any team but we could be looking forward to three games in League One," the Blades skipper reminded, ahead of a daunting upcoming triumvirate of games against Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.

"But we're not. We're playing three games in the Premier League, which is what we've all worked hard to do over the last few years.

"Now we have to pit our wits against the best, and there are no better than the three we're going to play next.

"So we have to look forward and be positive, help each other and try and get the results that we want."

Thank you for reading this article, one of dozens we publish every single day to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative coverage of YOUR club. This depth of Blades coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to from the football team at The Star, please consider taking out a subscription to our new discounted sports-only package. You'll find all the details HERE. Your support is much appreciated. Chris Holt, Football Editor