Billy Sharp reveals which of Sheffield United's newest recruits have impressed him most ahead of taking on Leeds United

The striker expressed his delight at how new boys Aaron Ramsdale, Max Lowe, Ethan Ampadu, Oli Burke, Wes Foderingham and Jayden Bogle have settled into life at Bramall Lane but one in particular has stood out.

Speaking ahead of United’s visit of Yorkshire rivals Leeds United to S2 on Sunday, Sharp said Chelsea loanee Ampadu has given him a tough time on the training pitch.

"I’ve been impressed with the new boys,” said Sharp. “Training has gone up. I’m really impressed with Ethan, because he’s been marking me really tightly in training.

"Oli (Burke) has spoken about coming in and rebuilding his career here with the press, and he’s done really well too. Like all the new players, he’ll want his pace in the team regularly.”

On taking on one of his old clubs this weekend, Sharp admitted it will be tinged with disappointment that a capacity crowd at the Lane won’t get to witness the showdown.

"It’s a good game, one I looked for on the fixture list, but such a shame there’s no fans,” he said. “We’ve got no points so we need to be up for it and Leeds have done reasonably well.”

On the lack of fans, Sharp added: “No, I’m not going to lie, you don’t get the same buzz. It gets you going, seeing the fans on the drive in and them during the warm-up. It gets you pumped up. The fans are the biggest part of the sport for me.”

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 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 at thestar.co.uk/subscriptions/sports.

Your support is much appreciated.

Chris Holt, Football Editor