Sheffield United: Chris Basham's revealing insight into his relationship with manager Slavisa Jokanovic

Despite struggling for game-time since Jokanovic’s appointment six months ago, Basham insisted he has been impressed by how the Serb has approached his work both on the touchline and training pitch.

Basham is expected to make only his 6th start of the Championship season at Blackburn Rovers tomorrow, having impressed against Nottingham Forest in midweek.

Reflecting on his performance at the City Ground, where he was deputising for Ben Davies, Basham also provided an insight into his relationship with Jokanovic, saying: “I was a little bit more nervous than I’ve been in a long time. But that’s because I wanted to perform and do well for this manager. That’s what everything I’m trying to do boils down to. I thought I did alright.”

With Davies still struggling to recover from what Jokanovic has described as a flu-like virus - “It isn’t Covid-19” - Basham is again set to feature alongside John Egan at Ewood Park, where United will begin attempting to close the six point gap between themselves and the play-off positions.

A member of the squad which finished ninth in the Premier League under Jokanovic’s predecessor Chris Wilder, only three years after being promoted from League One, Basham’s limited opportunities stem from the former Yugoslavia midfielder’s decision to switch from a back three to a back four.

“Not playing and watching, it’s all about how I try and put a stamp on games without doing too much and being silly,” said Basham, whose contract could expire at the end of the campaign.