Sheffield United: Boss vows to 'defend our club's crest' against familiar faces

But Slavisa Jokanovic is not expecting the 27-year-old to go easy on the club where he started his professional career if Gary Rowett decides to select him ahead of Bartosz Bialkowski. After all, having worked with Long’s team mates Scott Malone, Shaun Hutchinson and Matt Smith at Fulham, the Serb is not planning to acknowledge them until after the match.

“I have a lot of my ex-players in their squad too,” Jokanovic, the United manager, said. “I have a good collaboration with all of them. But now, all I care about is my players. I must defend the Sheffield United crest. After the game we can be friends. But during the game, they will be trying to win against me just as I will be trying to win against them.”

Long spent seven years at United after graduating from their youth programme before joining Hull City in 2018. Capped by England at youth and under-20 level during his time in South Yorkshire, Long helped City win promotion from League One last term before rejecting their offer of a new contract.

“Everything I observe about people I know, we will try and find some benefit from,” Jokanovic said. “The same, I am sure, will go for them. That is not a problem. There will be no sentiment from me because, after all, they are not going to be sentimental towards me are they.”