'They won't give up' - Former Hull City captain Craig Dawson hails Sheffield United's 'fighting spirit'

Chris Wilder takes his side to Manchester United tonight, who are bidding to return to the top of the table.

The Blades, meanwhile, are hoping to pull off a shock victory to bolster their slim survival hopes.

Wilder’s men are 12 points off 17th place Brighton and Hove Albion and have just five points on the board.

And while Dawson admits he sees no way out for the Blades, the Nottingham Forest defender lauded the “fighting spirit” created by Wilder.

Speaking to Sky Sports’ Football Show, he insisted: “They won’t give up.

"They’ve lost 11 games by one goal and that shows a team that’s fighting, that’s one thing Chris Wilder will have.

"He’s come up from League One with them. When they got promoted, he’s instilled that fighting spirit.

"Last year, they were brilliant. They took what they did in the Championship – overlapping centre-halves – but this year has been a lot different."

United’s only win in the Premier League so far came against Newcastle United, a team that are currently on an 11-game winless run.

Dawson believes the belief and confidence is low in the Blades camp, which makes their situation even more difficult.

He added: “Results and belief – when you only have five points from 19 games is a real uphill challenge, mentally as well as physically.

“They’ll have a real lack of confidence and it doesn’t get any easier going to Manchester United tonight.

"He won’t change formations, that’s one thing Chris Wilder doesn't do, his focus is always the same.

"He’s had to show an awful lot of belief and togetherness because they’ve gone through some hard times this year after the amazing season they had.

“it’s a real tough test for them and an even bigger challenge to get out this relegation battle, which I just don’t see happening for them.”