Chris Wilder's wishlist as he makes quick Sheffield United decisions ahead of January transfer window

Chris Wilder has outlined the qualities he is looking for in his Sheffield United players as he makes "quick decisions" on players ahead of the opening of the new transfer window. The Blades boss is hoping to be given some funds to spend in the January sales but has already signalled his intention to "wheel and deal" in the market.

That is expected to see some players who are surplus to requirements move on, with the likes of Ismaila Coulibaly and Daniel Jebbison potentially leaving ahead of the expiry of their contracts at the end of the summer. Wilder, who returned to Bramall Lane only a few weeks ago, admits he is still learning about some of the players he inherited from his predecessor Paul Heckingbottom but with time of the essence, is trusting his gut instinct in a lot of cases.

Wilder conceded soon after his return that the level of January investment sanctioned by Prince Abdullah would depend largely on United's on-field results and if the owner had any reservations, the recent disappointments at Aston Villa and at home to Luton Town will have done little to persuade the owner to put his hand in his pocket.

"I'm learning about the players all the time," Wilder said. "There's some I know and some that I don't know. I'm learning about what makes them tick and as staff, we have to learn pretty quickly. It's a backwards step for us today. I think there’s been a lot of positivity around the place, a lot of forward steps. Even in the losses at Liverpool and at Chelsea. There's been a lot of good things but it's a backward step today, which really hurts."

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But what specifically is he looking for in his players to make those decisions? "Taking on information - what's their appetite for that like?" Wilder said. Their interaction with other players, their attitude to everything. There's always an opportunity to impress. You want to know what they're like when things go wrong for them and when they're on top.

"I think the biggest one is, do the players want to be part of what we're hopefully trying to achieve in the short, medium and long term? We want to get back to winning ways relative to whatever division we're in and still have a positive effect on this football club.

"It's still a great club even though we're in a precarious position. There have been a lot of great things happening at this football club since 2016. We have had some down days and it's how we recover. That will be defined eight times out of 10 by the culture of the football club and the personality of the players."