'United have a spirit to them that others lack'

Rob Staton, BBC Radio Sheffield

Sheffield United return to action after the international break and it'll be interesting to see how things have settled down after a frantic transfer window ended successfully with the return of James McAtee.

I had a chance to interview Blades chief executive Stephen Bettis last week and to his credit, he didn't shirk any questions. He explained, fairly, how difficult it is for clubs to retain key players (pointing to Harry Kane as an example at Spurs).

He noted that a Premier League rival had tried to offload two players to them late in the window. The two unwanted players were on contracts far beyond anything United could afford (highlighting the financial discrepancy in the top flight). He also provided an update on a potential takeover which doesn't feel particularly imminent.

All in all, the club feels in a better place than it did a few weeks ago. The window ended well, they've started the season in a competitive, albeit winless, fashion. A trip to Spurs on Saturday is ominous but also the kind of occasion you win promotion for.

There are also enough teams down at the bottom to think a group of six or seven might be fighting to avoid the drop. United have a spirit to them that others lack. That could be key.

Listen to the interview with Bettis here

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