“Unfortunate” Sheffield United man gives Chris Wilder real food for thought ahead of Sheffield Wednesday derby clash
“Unfortunate” Sheffield United man gives Chris Wilder real food for thought ahead of Sheffield Wednesday derby clash
He has not so far had the impact on the pitch that he would have hoped for after signing for Sheffield United but Danny Ings’ performance against Queens Park Rangers at the weekend gave boss Chris Wilder some more valuable food for thought ahead of the Blades’ crunch Steel City derby against Wednesday next time out. The 33-year-old made his full Bramall Lane debut in the 0-0 draw.
He was unfortunate not to break the deadlock with a first-half diving header that forced Ben Hamer into a smart save and then twice almost contributed an assist, setting up Jairo Riedewald and Sam McCallum for separate efforts which the away defence just about managed to scramble away.
Ings’ all-round display caught the eye of many Unitedites as he completed a valuable 90 minutes against the Londoners, as he continues to get up to speed after arriving at United after the start of the season.
As well as his threat in the visitors’ box, there was also an impressive work-rate off the ball - with no suggestion whatsoever that a former England international, with big-money moves earlier in his career, is not completely committed to the United cause.
“Unfortunate” Sheffield United man gives Chris Wilder real food for thought ahead of Sheffield Wednesday derby clash
His influence both on and off the field could be huge as the Blades look to turn their season around - hopefully starting with the trip to Hillsborough for the first game back after the current international break.
“I think when you see Dan and you see the level, you see why he has played at the level he has,” said boss Wilder. “I thought his work ethic was amazing. Is he going to run away from people? No, but he finds space.
“If they're deep, he'll come to feet. If they're up the pitch, he'll make intelligent runs. In terms of the press, he was the forefront of that. It was just unfortunate for Dan that he's not got his goal, I think he'd be a bit disappointed.
“But Dan's got an important part to play. All the senior players have got an important part to play, and everybody's got an important part to play. I thought it was a together performance, and for me it is still that together club.
“There's not a blame culture here. We all understand where we are, and the position we're in, and we're humble enough to accept it on every level. We've just got to dig in and do it together.
“I asked for that in my press, and I got it, and I appreciate that. We've got two weeks to work at stuff, before going into a big game after the international break.”