Sheffield United's would-be new owner Dozy Mmobuosi reminded about the club's 'huge' potential

Mmobuosi, whose proposed purchase from Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is now being scrutinised by the English Football League, could be unveiled before the end of the month after agreeing a price, thought to be in the region of £90m, with the Saudi Arabian.

Second in the table and 12 points clear of third place ahead of tomorrow’s game against neighbours Rotherham, Paul Heckingbottom’s first team squad has given itself a wonderful opportunity to gain promotion to the Premier League after winning 17 and drawing six of their 28 outings since August.

Although Mmobuosi appears set to gain control of a team in superb form on the pitch, Heckingbottom insists the possibilities off it should excite Prince Abdullah’s potential replacement too.

MORE: Boss on Rotherham and Dozy’s ‘takeover’

“I’ve maintained all along, for me, when you’re travelling around the country from a boy, South Yorkshire, the North-East and Merseyside have real similarities in their approach to football and what it means to them,” the United manager said, as his side prepares for its visit to New York Stadium. “That includes the values on the team and how they should represent the fans.”

Heckingbottom’s career path means he is supremely qualified to draw comparisons between the community in which United are situated and those represented by Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle and Sunderland. Born in Barnsley, he turned professional at Roker Park before going on to both play for and coach his hometown club. Heckingbottom also represented Sheffield Wednesday before forging a career in the technical area. Together with his assistants Jack Lester and Stuart McCall, the 45-year-old spoke at length about ensuring United perform in a manner which reflects the personality of their support base after being appointed 14 months ago.

MORE: ‘We must reflect the fans’ passion’

Despite being placed under an embargo when the present regime failed to keep up with its repayments relating to previous transfer deals, United's rich history and partisan following means Mmobuosi is set to take charge of a team bristling with untapped potential if his buyout is approved. Although he will immediately be faced with challenges, such as rebuilding their reputation within the game due to those unpaid debts and addressing a situation which could see 16 members of United’s squad depart at the end of the campaign, Mmobuosi can count on the backing of their devoted fans providing he goes about his business with good intentions and transparency.

Rotherham, who beat United at Bramall Lane earlier this term, are ranked 20th. But, as Heckingbottom has warned, the narrative surrounding this latest meeting between the two teams means the form book will count for nothing once the action gets underway.

With Mmobuosi expected to be keeping abreast of developments, Heckingbottom said: “There’s a commonality between the fans. There’s the bragging rights. There’ll be plenty of Blades fans in Rotherham and they all seem to come out when it’s a derby. There’ll be no getting away from it during the build-up.”