'It's a career to be proud of' - everything Brighton head coach Graham Potter had to say about Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder

Potter has faced Wilder twice during his managerial career and won on both occasions.

He was in charge of Swansea in the Championship last season when his team completed the double over United – including a 1-0 triumph at the Liberty Stadium in January, which was the last time Wilder’s men suffered defeat on the road.

“I saw them last year in the Championship and I understood how hard it is to play against them," Potter said. "If you have that collective understanding and belief, along with confidence in each other, then I think you can go a long way and achieve fantastic results.

“They’ve got 25 points and the third best defensive record in the league, if they repeat those achievements in the second half of the campaign then they will have had a fantastic season.

“It’s nice for the competition that a side can come up from the league below and do so well. Perhaps people were looking at them as the whipping boys of the division and to go back down, but football isn’t as simple as that."

Potter has huge respect for the success Wilder has achieved with United, guiding them to seventh place in their first season back in the Premier League after a 12-year absence.

“He’s done amazingly well and it’s a career to be proud of. I had a lot of respect for Chris anyway having seen his work first-hand in the Championship,” Potter added.

“I’m sure he’ll be able tell you better than me, but I’d imagine he’s had some bumps in the road, but he’s kept going and kept learning. Management is never a straight-line journey.

“The job he’s done at Sheffield United is amazing. They were struggling when he arrived, but he’s come in and given them a real clarity and identity. Everyone buys into it and you can see the power of that way of working.”