Sheffield United: ‘No one is safe’ boss warns as he hints at changes against Aston Villa

Chris Wilder's side followed up last month's draw at Championship leaders Norwich City by beating Bolton Wanderers four days ago and, although the manager expressed his satisfaction with both performances and results, he is not ruling-out some surprise selections against Dean Smith's side.

Drawing attention to a fixture schedule which also pits United against fellow promotion rivals Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion during their next four games, Wilder said: "This is one of the outstanding fixtures of the season for us. It's easy to say 'keep the same team' but people don't always see what I see. 

"And we also have to look at what we've got coming up, without losing sight of the fact they next game is the most important."

It will not have gone unnoticed by Wilder or his staff that arguably the most challenging period of United's season so far coincides with the return of midweek games. With derbies against Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham looming on the horizion following February 23rd's trip to The Hawthorns, United then face a resurgent Brentford before travelling to second-placed Leeds.

Wilder, whose side are third, said: "We've got good ammo on the bench now. You have to play well to get in the team and then stay in it or just stay in in the first place. 

"I've got some difficult decisions to make. But what it does is give us an opportunity to pick the right team for the occasion."