'We didn't get going again after lockdown' admits Sheffield United defender after 'incredible' season

Stevens and his teammates finished ninth in the Premier League in their first season back in the top flight, despite widespread predictions of instant relegation when the campaign kicked off almost a year ago.

United were within touching distance of the Champions League places when football was shut down because of the Covid-19 crisis, and struggled to regain their pre-lockdown form after they restarted the Premier League season.

But the defender, who was nominated for the 2019 Irish International Player of the Year Award alongside his teammate David McGoldrick, admitted: “It’s still been an incredible season for us.

“We started off on fire and we maintained that consistency over the course of the season. Lockdown probably came at the wrong time for us. It kind of upset us and we didn’t really get going again.

“We fell off the chase for European football in the end which was a bit disappointing.

“After lockdown we played about eight or nine games in a month so it was tough but it had to be done.

“Football is not the same without the fans and it never will be, but it’s something you have to get your head around and adapt to.”

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jake Eastwood is looking forward to his loan spell with Kilmarnock after agreeing a switch until January.

“This is a big season for me," he said, "and I want to show the supporters exactly what I can do.”

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