The Sheffield United issue that Chris Wilder must fix in key summer rebuild after "suffering" demand

Chris Wilder is keen to see an increased resilience amongst his squad next season, both mentally and physically, insisting they must learn to "enjoy the suffering" that a gruelling Championship campaign inevitably brings. The Blades chief pointed to the example of Coventry City last term.

The Sky Blues stormed to the Championship title while United limped to a 13th-placed finish, after overcoming a grim start to the season but then not being able to string together the consistency of results which would enable them to push on.

Wilder’s summer rebuild will focus on character, leadership and personality within his squad, with a warning sounded to United’s players that a gruelling pre-season campaign will test them in all aspects of the game to ensure they are not left behind again when the season begins for real.

And a big part of that will be more “tough love” for the Blades’ young cohort, which will be bolstered further by the return of teenager Ryan One after his League One title-winning loan spell at Lincoln City.

"I think one of the things is for these young boys, it's a little bit of tough love and you've got to get on with it," Wilder said. "You're not always going to be 100 per cent. You're not always going to be clear of injuries.

“You've got to play with the knocks. You've got to play sometimes when you're not great Yeah, there comes a time where you can't continue, but toughening them boys up as well to make them mentally strong and resilient is a learning curve that they have to go through."

A record of almost 30 points dropped from winning positions across the season told its own story as United too often failed to deal with big moments. Wilder did not shy away from his frustration at the physical condition of the squad he re-inherited in September, and a terrible start to the campaign under Ruben Selles left obvious mental scars too.

"I think it would have been quite easy to just put on running sessions in training and have players just run alongside each other," he added. “But I don't want that to happen. I want it to be competitive. I want them to feel the pain and having to be uncomfortable at times and enjoy the suffering.

"Of course, I'm not putting those boys in difficult and dangerous situations. I'm not that reckless. But sometimes you need a little bit of: ‘Go on, just get on with it, mate'. And help your team get through the game and gain another big three points."

Frank Lampard’s City were perhaps the most pertinent example of that. United dominated large parts of their game against the eventual champions at Bramall Lane and went ahead early in the second half, before the visitors hit back to win 2-1 and take another big step towards the Championship title.

"We had them on the back foot," he said. "But they showed unbelievable qualities to stay in the game, let alone get an opportunity to win it. They had the personality, the character, the resilience and the belief and desire to dig in.

“And you have to do that. Whoever you are in any division, you're not always going to get every game going your way. There's going to be periods of games where you've got to deal with it, and how you deal with those moments is key."