The one thing this Sheffield United player doesn't want to see happen when Premier League football returns

The midfielder wonders, when Sheffield United are forced to do the same starting at Aston Villa on Wednesday, whether it will prove an unpalatable experience for supporters watching the action unfold on their television screens at home.

But with all matches set to take place behind closed doors when the Premier League season resumes, Osborn hopes broadcasters resist the temptation to pipe fake crowd noise across the footage. Or, worse still, channel it through PA systems inside the grounds.

“It’s not something I’d like to see happen, either in a match I’m involved in or if I’m sat in front of the TV,” Osborn said. “I think it’ll be really interesting for fans to hear what the players and the managers are saying. Wouldn’t people rather listen to that? I think they would, surely?”

United will move to within two points of the Champions League qualification positions if they win in the West Midlands. The game is the first to be staged in England since competition was suspended in March because of the Covid-19 pandemic and, given Villa’s position towards the foot of the table, promises to be a hard-fought encounter between two highly motivated sides.

With fans prohibited from attending until the health crisis eases, the occasion also threatens to be slightly surreal. The stands at Villa Park, which can hold nearly 43,000 spectators, will be empty apart from a handful of staff and around 40 journalists.

“It’s going to be like a reserve team game in a way, except with a lot more on it and a lot more intensity,” Osborn said. “Obviously everyone would rather the fans could be there, especially our supporters because they’ve been such a huge part of what we’ve done so far this season.

“But we’ll be focused and we’ll get on with it. We’ve given ourselves a big opportunity to do something and it’s one we want to take.”

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