Slavisa Jokanovic warns Sheffield United what they must do - or avoid - if they want to challenge for promotion

Slavisa Jokanović has warned his Sheffield United side that they cannot afford to relax in their pursuit of a return to the Premier League ahead of this weekend’s visit to AFC Bournemouth.
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Jokanović’s men will make the long trip south 12th in the Championship table, after Tuesday night’s defeat at Middlesbrough ended their mini-resurgence and sentenced them to their first defeat in six league outings.

Scott Parker’s side, who faced Peterborough last night, have established themselves as one of the Championship’s promotion contenders this season and will look to further extend the gap between themselves and Jokanović’s Blades this weekend.

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“We have shown we can perform better and we are of course unsatisfied and disappointed with our performance,” Jokanović admitted.

“We are realistic and we know we didn't do enough. We can't complain about any situation around us. We found what we expected, we weren't at a high enough level and we must now focus and concentrate 100 per cent.

“We cannot be relaxed at any moment, we all know very well what the Championship is like and how tough and complicated it is.

“Tonight was a tough night for us and it wasn't easy for us to change the story … it was a little bit late because of how we started the game.”

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Jokanović, who welcomed back David McGoldrick from injury at the Riverside Stadium, may have the former Bournemouth striker Lys Mousset available after the Frenchman resumed training with his teammates.

Mousset, in good goalscoring form in pre-season, damaged a hamstring on the opening day against Birmingham City and has been sidelined ever since.

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