'Brilliant' David McGoldrick does so much more for Sheffield United than score goals

McGoldrick was on target twice during the 3-0 victory over Frank Lampard’s side, ending his long wait for a top-flight goal as United maintained their push for a place in Europe despite only being promoted from the Championship last term.

Although Wilder has always insisted the Republic of Ireland international is judged on more than finishing alone, McGoldrick admitted beforehand that the manager had sought to reassure him about his importance to the cause on several occasions as the drought threatened to continue.

United’s manager, who recently underlined that message by awarding McGoldrick a new contract, described the player’s efforts against Chelsea as a “deserved” reward for his contribution to a squad which finished the match sixth in the table.

“He’s been great, and it’s brilliant for Didzy to get those, because he’s been brilliant himself,” Wilder said. “You get a feeling for what players are like and what they bring to the group.

“He’s a favourite because he leaves everything out there, besides everything else he does. He doesn’t go missing when the going gets tough.

“Didzy has had chances he should have taken before and there’s been times when he’s been really unfortunate as well. But he’s a popular boy and you saw how chuffed all the rest of the lads were for him, because they recognise what he’s done and what he brings to the table.

"I don't think he'll ever be really prolific but that doesn't matter because of everything else he does,"

“To be a fans’ favourite as this club, you have to tick a lot of boxes,” Wilder, who also saw Oli McBurnie find the back of the net, added. “You have to work hard and you have to have ability.

“The fact Didzy has come through this period and still been at the top of everyone’s minds, that says something. He deserved this reward because it’s obviously been a difficult period for him. But we pick him because of what we know he brings to the team.”

United, who return to action at Leicester City on Thursday, signed McGoldrick on a free transfer following his release by Ipswich Town two years ago.

Revealing details of his conversations with Mick McCarthy at the time - the former Barnsley defender managed McGoldrick both in Suffolk and at international level - Wilder said: “We always knew about Didzy’s ability. So Mick talked about him from a character point of view. He (McCarthy) is a great guy, a great manager and you always get an honest assessment from Mick.

“He told me that yes, Didzy had had a few injury problems down there but he’d got bags of everything else and that moving closer to his home in Nottingham, where he’s got a young family, would really help him.”

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