Wilder Makes “Pretty Straightforward” Remark As Sheffield United Already Looking Ahead to Summer Window | OneFootball

Sheffield United will welcome Swansea City to Bramall Lane on Good Friday afternoon in the Sky Bet Championship, with both sides looking to arrest poor runs of form.

The Blades come into the Easter weekend on the back of a difficult March, having failed to register a victory throughout the month. That run has seen them slide down the table, now sitting closer to the relegation zone than the play-off places. Dropped points against West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City and Wrexham have proven costly, leaving United 13 points adrift of Southampton in sixth place.

Swansea arrive in South Yorkshire in similarly inconsistent form. The Welsh side have suffered back-to-back defeats against Wrexham and Coventry City, conceding five goals without reply. Like their hosts, they have struggled to build momentum this season and currently sit just two points above Sheffield United in the standings.

Josh Key, who picked up a hip injury in the defeat to Wrexham, could miss the trip to S2, while Swedish forward Zeidane Inoussa remains sidelined with a back problem and has not featured since January.

Chris Wilder also has injury concerns to contend with. Tyrese Campbell has undergone surgery and will miss the remainder of the campaign, although he is expected to return in time for pre-season. Wilder also provided updates on Kalvin Phillips and Joe Rothwell, saying: “We’ll hopefully get him out before the end of the season,” in reference to Phillips, while adding that Rothwell is working his way back towards full fitness.

Chris Wilder Already Thinking About the Near Future For Sheffield United

Looking ahead, Wilder has already begun to outline his priorities for next season, with a clear focus on improving the squad’s physicality and mentality.

“Right the way through, we’re always analysing and reviewing,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “One of the things I did say is that we have to be more robust and we have to be physically better individually and hopefully that gives us a better opportunity of winning games.

“When you analyse the period that we’ve been in, what is it, 27 points from winning positions? So, basically, you’ve put yourself in a winning position in this division, this tough division, quite a few times and you’ve not been able to see it out.

“I think it’s pretty straightforward. We’ve lost some big characters, as we talked about. You can’t always keep saying we’re a young team; fifth youngest team in the division. I think the back four average age is 23, whereas it’s 28 and 29 at Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Coventry and Southampton.

“We are developing young players, so unfortunately they will make mistakes, but it’s the mentality. We lost quite a few big personalities in the summer; players who have moved around the top of the division.

“So for me, the players that we bring in next year have got to be robust. They’ve got to be able to physically deal with the demands of the Championship and mentally deal with the pressure of playing for a top side.”

Friday’s clash at Bramall Lane might not have play-off implications, but a good end to the season could help reset the mood surrounding Sheffield United as they prepare for a big summer ahead.