Wilder on 'fabulous' Old Trafford, 'recovering' from defeat and 'difficult' morale
- Published
Chris Wilder has been speaking to the media before Sheffield United take on Manchester United in the Premier League on Wednesday night (20:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from the Blades boss:
On the quick turnaround following the defeat to Burnley: "It is the rearranged game because of Manchester United's progression in FA Cup - so it is what it is. Whether it is a good thing or not, whether we would have preferred a week of preparation leading up to the Newcastle game, or whether we will get back on the bike - we will only know off the back of this on late Wednesday evening."
Wilder is hoping the Blades "grab the opportunity" to play at Old Trafford, which he describes as "a fabulous place to go and play football", stating: "This is the reason we got promoted to the Premier League, for days and nights like this."
On taking on Manchester United after they were pushed all the way in their FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City: "Listen, they won't be too bothered internally. They are through to a cup final yet again, so that is twice in two years that they have reached the final, which is a great achievement. People will talk about Manchester United negatively, but it is a huge football club and a fabulous group of players they have got."
The Blades are "looking to recover" in front of a "full-house" at Old Trafford: "We will expect Manchester United to put out their strongest side and put on a top performance. We are looking to recover from the real disappointment of Saturday afternoon. There is no hiding place - the only way to do that is to get yourself out there and put a proper performance in."
However, there won't be any players making their return from injury. Wilder admitted that squad morale is "difficult at the minute" because he has a group of players that are "injured" or "out of contract and possibly know their fate". He says he also has "loan players that possibly know they are going back to their parent club" or "young players who are trying to find their feet in the Premier League".
On whether Ivo Grbic will still be his first choice goalkeeper going forward, Wilder explained: "I haven't spoken to him. He has done a recovery day away from here. Myself and the coaches have had our heads down today, in terms of a game plan and selection. As you can imagine, there are going to be some big decisions on a lot of key positions."
He added: "Regarding Ivo, there was talk of making a substitution at half-time by certain sections of the support. I could have substituted some more players as well, but I thought I would give them the opportunity to make it right. I don't like making those sort of decisions, but I will and I have done before."
Lastly, Wilder commented on Nottingham Forest's controversial statement on X about the standard of refereeing in their defeat to Everton: "I've really not got a lot to say about it, with my past track record and where it could lead to! I would rather let all the other experts and pundits comment on it."
