'I could be stacking shelves at Sainsbury's' admits Sheffield United star

All but two of the centre-forward’s last eight appearances for Chris Wilder’s side have come from the bench, although he did score in the previous round of the competition against AFC Fylde.

Robinson also pressed his claims by helping to create John Fleck’s equaliser at Arsenal seven days ago and, speaking ahead of this tomorrow’s match at The Den, he said: “I always try to make an impact if I get minutes in the league or the cup.

“I try to do that with either a goal or an assist, try to get involved in the forward play, because that’s why I’m here. That’s what’s going to get me in the team.

“I will try to do my best defensively with the press. But the main thing is goals and assists.”

A summer signing from Preston North End, Robinson was a regular starter for United at the beginning of the campaign. But with first Lys Mousset and then Oli McBurnie finding their form, the Republic of Ireland international has played a more peripheral role in recent months.

Providing an insight into the challenges players face after being summoned from the bench, Robinson continued: “It can be a little difficult to adjust when you come on as a substitute.

“You need to get your second wind so the first five or 10 minutes are all about getting up to speed, but after that you should be in the flow.

“It was nice at Arsenal to get more than 10 or 15 minutes. I enjoyed that and at the back end of the game I was right in the mix of it.

“The staff always make sure you’re included, though, and you don’t feel left out if you’re not playing as much as you want to. We all know we’ve got a job to do to get over the line, if that means being a sub or a starter, that’s what we do.

“You have to enjoy being a footballer. You could be stacking shelves at Sainsbury’s.

“I enjoy it. We’re picking up results and that puts a smile on everyone’s face.”

United make the journey south having lost just once in four outings, with that defeat coming against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Tuesday night.

“It’s my first full season at this level and I’m learning and training hard,” Robinson, aged 24, said. “I’m just waiting for my time to come and hopefully I can really push on.

“It’s harder in the Premier League - the lads are quicker and stronger - but when I’ve been involved I’ve tried to make an impact and I haven’t lost faith in my ability, even though I’m coming up against world class footballers.

“Mouss had a few years at Bournemouth before he came here and this season the penny has dropped for him, which shows what can happen with experience and more games. The same goes for Oli.

“We’re all in the same situation. We’re young, hungry and want to get better.”