8/10 Sheffield United man's performance v Coventry City even more impressive after Chris Wilder revelation

As Hamza Choudhury put the finishing touches to his preparations for Friday night’s blockbuster clash between his Sheffield United and fellow promotion hopefuls Coventry City, you would have forgiven him if his head was spinning a little. The midfielder had made a long-awaited but emotional international debut earlier in the week, but any notion of a well-earned rest was scuppered by Vini Souza’s ongoing hamstring absence.

Choudhury flew around 10,000 miles over the international “break” to represent Bangladesh for the first time in their creditable 0-0 draw with India, after switching his allegiance from England to the country of his family. A player whose industrial style suggests he is not used to standing out was given a hero’s welcome, being mobbed at the airport and described as Bangladesh’s answer to Lionel Messi by his captain in the build-up.

Then it was back to Bramall Lane for the visit of Frank Lampard’s resurgent Coventry and when boss Chris Wilder jokingly asked if anyone had seen Choudhury in his pre-match press conference, it turned out there was an element of truth. "The last time I saw him was walking out of Hillsborough a couple of weeks ago, until Friday at six o'clock," the Blades boss said.

"He's not trained; he's not done anything from a tactical point of view. It's all been done remotely. He landed late on Thursday, we gave him a quick MOT and a rub-down and chucked him out there.”

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It was to the 27-year-old’s credit, then, that what followed was a superb display against the Sky Blues as the Blades won 3-1 to pile the pressure on leaders Leeds United, which told when they slipped up less than 24 hours later at home to Swansea City. Choudhury played almost the full match, putting his body on the line to stop a forceful Ben Sheaf shot with his head, and earned a deserved standing ovation as he eventually made way near the end.

"I asked if he was expecting what came and he said no,” added Wilder on Choudhury’s international break reception. “He got taken to his parents' old house and he said the last time he went there was about 11 or 12 years ago. He's passionate about his country and his religion. You saw the reaction everybody gave him.

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"So there was a lot that he had to deal with, from a mentality point of view, because I should imagine it was quite energy-sapping for him. Mentally as well as physically, with the journey and then a tight game of football where he's helped his team get a result against maybe better quality opposition. He deserved every bit of appreciation he got from our supporters."

It took a bit of time for Choudhury to win over the Blades support after his loan move from Leicester City was confirmed, with his natural style of sitting deep and almost dropping into the centre of defence requiring an adjustment period for all concerned. But he was excellent in the derby win at Hillsborough before the break and followed that up against City, negating the absence of one of United’s leading lights this season in Souza.