Sheffield United: Boss reveals the perfect response to controversy at Bournemouth

The Sheffield United manager effectively accused the officials of disrespect during a brutally frank post-match interview with The Star, after insisting both of the opposition’s goals following Morgan Gibbs-White’s opener should have been disallowed.

With football’s attention now turning towards the race for next year’s World Cup finals in Qatar, Jokanovic and his players must wait nearly a fortnight before enjoying an opportunity to channel their grievances into a series of match-winning displays.

Asked if United can put the anger they felt at the Vitality Stadium to good use, Jokanovic said: “We must try and channel our frustration in a positive way. That is all we can do now. We must try and make sure something good comes from it, because that is in our control.

“It is not what we wanted to be talking about. We didn’t have the sensation we wanted to have after the game. The result wasn’t good but I thought the performance was.”

“That, in a way, will only make the players feel more frustrated,” continued the United manager. “Because they know they deserved much better than what they got.

“We didn’t achieve or do everything we wanted to do there. But I still feel, against very good opponents, that we took a step forward. I thought we were good ourselves.”

United entered the international break 14th in the table, nine places and 10 points better off than the last pause in the domestic schedule five weeks ago. With the break in competition allowing Jokanovic and his coaching staff to work on those areas where United must improve in order to challenge to promotion, the Serb will be disappointed to see Rhys Norrington-Davies join fellow defender George Baldock on the treatment table, with Wales announcing the youngster has withdrawn from their trips to the Czech Republic and Estonia due to an unspecified injury.

Baldock limped-out of United’s meeting with Bournemouth after complaining of discomfort in a hamstring, prompting Jokanovic to confirm he will be monitored by their fitness and conditioning department ahead of Stoke City’s visit to South Yorkshire later this month.