The Blades are three points clear of third-placed Middlesbrough, with a game in hand over Michael Carrick’s men, ahead of their return to Championship action on April 1 away at Norwich City.
Any hopes United had of catching leaders Burnley have gone, with Vincent Kompany's men 13 points clear at the top and 16 clear of Boro in third. But it is shaping up to be a memorable season for the Blades, as they prepare for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley in a month's time.
Here’s what a number of their rivals’ managers have said about the Blades this season, either before or after a game against the Blades, in reverse table order...
1. Up the Blades?
Sheffield United are aiming for automatic promotion from the Championship this season Photo: Andrew Yates
![These two teams [United and Burnley] are dominating at the moment. But there is a long way to go in this league. Both teams have very talented managers. Sheffield United are really good at set-pieces. They press you hard and it is difficult to find space. They are strong and you can see this is a team that believe in themselves.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjUyMTJhZDkyLTNlNDctNGFiYy05ZTRmLTY3ODM0NmI5N2VjYjpjN2Y3NGZlZC01OTE1LTQxZWMtOTU4Yy1hZjIwOTliOWI2ZDE=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
2. Kolo Toure (ex-Wigan)
These two teams [United and Burnley] are dominating at the moment. But there is a long way to go in this league. Both teams have very talented managers. Sheffield United are really good at set-pieces. They press you hard and it is difficult to find space. They are strong and you can see this is a team that believe in themselves. Photo: Matt McNulty
3. Michael Appleton (ex-Blackpool)
They showed the reason why they are where they are, the quality in the box they’ve got going forward, but they also showed it defensively as well. They recognised when to defend early, when to get the blocks in, when to see things out and at times we kept asking questions, but they came up with the right answers a lot of the time. Photo: Lewis Storey
4. Mark Fotheringham (ex-Huddersfield)
Sheffield United's a massive club in stature. They've got a very good coach, a man I respect He's doing exceptionally well with a fantastic squad there and we'll give them all the respect they deserve. Paul's a very good coach and he seems like a very nice man as well. He's doing a fantastic job at Sheffield United under big pressure because … their budget's so high and they've got that type of player that is very determined to play in the Premier League. Photo: Ashley Allen