'That was what our club is all about' - Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder idenities the performance his team must replicate to achieve Premier League survival

With Sheffield United entering the game at the bottom of the table and without a win so far this term, Wilder accepts “lots of big performances” are required if his squad is to avoid relegation after slipping to its 11th defeat in 12 outings at Southampton on Sunday.

Although no top-flight side in the modern era has ever recovered from such a disappointing start, Wilder remains convinced United can escape the drop if they reproduce the type of display which saw them draw 3-3 with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men 13 months ago.

“That was everything, for me, that Sheffield United is about,” Wilder said, reflecting on a memorable encounter which saw his team take a two goal lead, surrender it in seven minutes and then snatch a deserved equaliser. “That, for me, was everything our club stands for: The fight, the spirit, the togetherness and the talent which I know we’ve still got.

“To do what the lads did, after taking the hammer blow that they did, and come back from that shows me what they’re about. They’ve shown they can do it, against the very best opposition, so now the time has come to start going out there and doing it - from all of us.

“We need to show everything that we did during what was a remarkable match.”

Oli McBurnie, whose last minute strike ensured United took a point from a contest they had dominated for long periods, is struggling to shake-off the shoulder injury he sustained at St Mary’s in time to take part, with Wilder contemplating restoring former Liverpool centre-forward Rhian Brewster to the starting eleven if the Scotland international fails a fitness test. The 53-year-old, who led United to a ninth placed finish last term after guiding them out of the Championship, has indicated coaching staff are considering changes either way following what he acknowledged was a below par display on the south coast.

“You can’t get away from it, that results have hit the confidence level of the team,” Wilder said. “But you get a few results and belief and confidence grows. Confidence does take a hit and belief takes a hit. We have to stick our chests out and deliver a performance. We are having to go and show all of the qualities we showed in that game, against Manchester United, again.”

“They are a little bit down as you can imagine, after Sunday,” Wilder continued. “The feeling in the camp is that they didn’t do enough to win a game of football even though they were up against a really good side. So we have to react to that.

“The players have got to galvanise themselves to get out of the blocks. The first goal is so important.

“We’ve had opportunities to get them and haven’t taken them. That's something we've got to try and take care of - those big moments we always talk about because they do make such a difference."

Despite his reservations about aspects of United’s latest body of work, Wilder is adamant that recent results have not been a true reflection of performances; citing narrow defeats to Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City as examples.

“It’s a lonely place at the moment, it always will be when you are in our position,” he confessed. “We just have to keep believing and we are working hard. I don’t just batter them constantly. How can you, with what these players have done for this football club? That’s why they get more leeway than some teams in the past. This team knows it can do it. It has done it before. That’s where they’ve just got to show the bravery and the bottle.”

United were languishing in League One when Wilder was appointed in the summer of 2016, winning promotion at the first time of asking before, after narrowly missing out on the play-offs, reaching the highest level one year later.

Manchester United have prepared for the trip to Yorkshire in ninth position. Edison Cavani is set to sit out the game through injury, while Sergio Romeo and Marcos Rojo, who has been touted as a potential loan signings for United by members of Wilder’s board, are also on the treatment table.

United are scheduled to assess McBurnie before kick-off, although defender Kean Bryan has definitely been ruled-out with a calf complaint.

“The players have got to show they aren’t feeling sorry for themselves,” he said. “We can talk but we have to go and deliver. We have to match up performances with results.

“I have got to deliver in terms of the things I can affect and control. I can try and set them up and I can try and motivate them, even though I feel I shouldn’t have to because this is Manchester United at home in the Premier League.

“If we aren’t good enough in terms of a little bit of quality, because of the quality the opposition has got, then I can accept that and will accept that. This is a club built and underpinned on fighting spirit and we have to show that to stand a chance of getting a result.”

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