Slavisa Jokanovic reiterates wish to keep Sander Berge at Sheffield United amid interest from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Napoli et al

Berge, 23, played for Asker and Vålerenga in his homeland before moving to Belgium with Genk, and became United’s then-record signing when he made a £22m move to Bramall Lane last January.

Berge was widely expected to head the departures from United after they were relegated from the Premier League, but no clubs have yet met the release clause in his contract and he impressed with both performance and attitude in his first pre-season appearance, a 45-minute cameo at Doncaster Rovers.

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United kick-off their Championship season this weekend, at home to Birmingham City and, as things stand, Berge – who only recently returned to training at United’s Shirecliffe training base because of an injury issue - is expected to be named in Jokanović’s squad to face the Blues.

And the Serb told The Star: “I didn't have much opportunity to work with him but we tried to explain to him how we wanted him to play on the field.

“You ask me about his attitude but I am probably better off asking you because you know better than me about the personality of him.

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“I do know the quality of Sander and knew that before I came here. When he played in Norway still I knew about him so he's not a player I don't know and I'm not surprised at his quality, which is huge.

“I hope he will be available to help us in the future.”

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