The truth behind Sheffield United's remarkable team spirit, as told by one of Chris Wilder's longest serving players
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But pride, not jealousy, has been Simon Moore’s overriding emotion after watching Dean Henderson excel during Sheffield United’s climb to seventh - yes seventh - in the Premier League table.
“We’ve got two players for every position, everyone wants to play, but the lads have been doing so well that those of us on the outside just haven’t had a sniff,” Moore, describing the battle to win a place in one of the competition’s most settled starting elevens, concedes. “I’ve got England’s number one in front of me and I’m thinking - ‘Just give me a break here, please!’ But I’m proud to have been a part of his success and I’m here to help or guide him if he ever needs it.”
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Hide AdMoore has spent the best part of two whole seasons observing from the bench as Henderson, on loan from Manchester United, builds his case to become Gareth Southgate’s first choice goalkeeper at next summer’s European Championships. Barring injury, illness or a late change of heart by the 23-year-old’s parent club, he is expected to be handed another watching brief when United return to action - following a three month long lay-off due to the Covid-19 pandemic - at Aston Villa next week.
But Moore’s refusal to be crushed by the situation, the fact he still feels emotionally invested in Chris Wilder’s team, provides a fascinating insight into the environment United have created behind the scenes. Indeed Moore’s outlook, the willingness to put the interests of the group before his own personal ego, explains in microcosm why Wilder’s side will enter the final 10 matches of the campaign in the Champions League conversation. Despite being tipped for relegation after securing promotion last summer.
“Deano will go on to have an unbelievable career,” Moore continues. “Really, I think he’ll go all the way. But you still need people behind you, you still need people pushing, helping and driving you forward.
“Like I say, we’ve got two or even three players for every position here. But it takes special types of characters for that to really work. There can be a lot of bitterness, I’ve seen that before, because every footballer at a club wants to be involved.
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Hide Ad“Here’s for those of us who aren’t every week, it’s not an acceptance of not playing. But everyone wants success for the club as a whole and that’s why, because we’re all doing the right things and trying to play, it really does work.”
Having conceded fewer goals than all but one of their top-flight rivals, United are unlikely to make changes to their defence when they visit the West Midlands on June 17. The likes of Jack O’Connell, John Egan and of course Henderson himself are all shoe-ins to be selected when Wilder’s men, unbeaten in six before the fixture schedule was suspended, attempt to cut the gap between themselves and fourth-placed Chelsea to only two points.
But the gruelling schedule proposed by the architects of ‘Project Restart’ means opportunities are almost certain to present themselves between now and August. The FA Cup, where United are set to meet Arsenal in the quarter-finals next month, could see Moore or Michael Verrips handed a chance to feature. And when Wilder’s squad travel to Old Trafford later this month, Henderson is prohibited from facing his parent club.
Moore, who got the nod ahead of Verrips when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men drew 3-3 at Bramall Lane earlier this term, hopes to feature again.
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Hide Ad“It was weird for me when they came here,” he says, remembering the build-up to November’s dramatic encounter. “I knew Deano couldn’t play so I was looking for that one straight away.
“It was my Premier League debut and when I finish, I’ll look back at that as a really proud moment.
“Right now, though, I don’t really think about it to be honest. What I am thinking about is trying to make more, trying to squeeze everything I can out of my career.
“I enjoy watching other people succeed. I enjoy watching my teammates do well and being a part of that. We’ve got a lot of characters here who are the same. But I’ve also got that hunger and desire to keep on becoming a better footballer and a better person as well.”
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Hide AdWith players who test positive for the coronavirus ordered to spend seven days in quarantine, the importance of being prepared to step in at a moment’s notice has never been more crucial. Indeed, given that United could find themselves competing on average once every 3.5 days if they reach the last four of the FA Cup, it is the actions of those on the periphery of Wilder’s starting eleven - not those already in it - which could decide if United qualify for Europe.
“Over the next six or seven weeks, it will be about the whole squad,” Moore, a veteran of United’s march to the 2017 League One title, acknowledges. “The gaffer’s told us it’s about the whole team and he’s right. Every single player here is going to be vital and you’ve got to be ready..
“I might get a game every three or four months at the minute but, because we train so hard, when we do step out there we all know we have done all we can to produce the best possible performance.”