Sheffield United striker David McGoldrick sees signs of progress ahead of clash with Brighton and Hove Albion

He wasn’t the only Sheffield United player who would voice an opinion. But the centre-forward was among the first, following a chastening defeat by Southampton, to declare that things had to change.

“We all had a good talk in there afterwards,” McGoldrick admits, delivering his own verdict on a performance Chris Wilder would later dismiss as being passive and compliant. “We care about this club. There’s nobody in this group who doesn’t care so we knew that couldn’t be repeated.

“We agreed we all had to do better, that we had to go back to basics, be aggressive, on the front foot and really get after opponents. Remember, before anything else, that we’d got to become harder to beat.”

It wasn’t last weekend’s result which really troubled McGoldrick or his manager Wilder. Success, in a division where even mid-table clubs boast world class talents, can never be guaranteed. Rather it was how United lost, barely laying a glove on opponents who scored three times without reply, that persuaded them it was time for a serious discussion.

Although Wilder’s side travels to Brighton and Hove Albion tomorrow still without a win this season - Manchester United condemning McGoldrick and his team mates to their 12th defeat in 13 outings at Bramall Lane on Thursday night - the former Republic of Ireland international believes the match could be a turning point in the South Yorkshire club’s bid for Premier League survival. After giving United the lead, McGoldrick watched efforts from Marcus Rashford (2) and Anthony Martial put the visitors in control before his second of the contest set up a grandstand finish, with substitute Lys Mousset going close to snatching a late equaliser.

“The mood wasn’t great of course, because we didn’t get any points on the board,” McGoldrick says. “But what we produced, performance-wise, was like night and day compared to Southampton.”

“Down there, I felt like our confidence was shot,” he continues. “It wasn’t about not caring, it was just like we didn’t believe in ourselves to a certain degree.

“So before the Manchester United game, we talked about the importance of doing our own thing, going back to the hard to beat nastiness we became known for last season and then, when we get the chance to play, play. I think we did that (against Manchester United) so we’ve got something to build on going forward.”

Although United have struggled to reproduce the form which saw them finish ninth in the table last term, only a year after being promoted from the Championship, McGoldrick has enjoyed an upturn in his own personal fortunes. The header he converted during the closing stages of the meeting with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side was his fifth goal since September’s return to action - one more than he scored in domestic competition during the entirety of the 2019/20 campaign.

“I’d give away every single one of them for us to be in the position we were back then,” McGoldrick confesses. “I’d gladly trade all of them because here it’s not about individuals. It’s all about the group.”

At the bottom of the table, nine points adrift of safety and with only one to their name, McGoldrick accepts United are in a perilous predicament approaching the Christmas period. It is important, he insists, they approach their meeting with an Albion side sitting 16th in the table with the same purpose which ruffled Manchester United’s feathers.

“We’ve got to take the positives from our last match because it was a much better performance. We’ve had a few recently where we’ve not been on the boil but that was much more like it.

“If we don’t stay positive, it will be a long season. But if we play like that against Brighton, like we did last time out, and in the games we’ve got coming up then we’ll definitely put some (points) on the board.

“The way we went about things against Manchester United, it reminded me much more of last season, when we were on the front foot, coming straight out of the blocks and almost playing like we were 1-0 down straight away - just going and going at teams. We got ahead, and we still went for it. We went behind, and we still went for it.

“If we let our heads drop then we’ll get punished and punished and punished. We’ve got to go out there in the same vein as we did last time at Brighton.”

Although United’s work against their namesakes from the North-West wasn’t perfect - Wilder bemoaning their inability to exploit several “big moments” - it did at least confirm that those under his command remain emotionally invested in the club despite being hit by a series of punishing blows in recent weeks. They include the loss of Jack O’Connell to a knee injury, with Sander Berge and Oli McBurnie now joining him on the treatment table.

“Everyone here cares,” McGoldrick said. “They wouldn’t be in the squad if they didn’t. Our gaffer wouldn’t have that, he wouldn’t tolerate anyone who didn’t. Everyone trains hard, everyone is vocal and that comes from people caring.

“We’ve got good senior boys in the dressing room who all care for the club. They wouldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t let that happen.”

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