All eyes on Sheffield United players' reaction to Aston Villa hammering ahead of crunch Luton Town clash

Sheffield United's players are facing a "massive test" of character following Saturday's hammering at home to Aston Villa, manager Chris Wilder has admitted, with alle eyes on how they respond this week. The Blades will look to bounce back from that humbling this weekend when they travel to Luton Town.

Rob Edwards' side have made a much better fist of adapting to life in the Premier League since joining the Blades in winning promotion from the Championship last season and will kick off at Kenilworth Road on Saturday a place above the relegation zone, and 10 points better off than the rock-bottom Blades, who suffered their latest blow to belief at the hands of Villa at the weekend.

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Asked after that game if he would be looking at his players' character, Wilder insisted: "Absolutely, both medium and long-term. Even in good times, when they're playing well and winning games of football, you're looking at characters. Do they get carried away or do they keep going and keep doing the right things? When the sun's shining and everyone's popping the ball about, it becomes a pretty easy game to play if you're a good player.

"Now when you're not connecting those passes and making that tackle and covering defensively it becomes a difficult game and there's only one way to get around it. By coming in to work on Monday, analysing it and working as hard as we possibly can. It's going to be a long week, I assure you, and we'll try to put it right in the next game."

"Hurting" Wilder has to get balance right ahead of huge Luton chance

Wilder returned to Bramall Lane on the back of terrible performances in defeats to Bournemouth and Burnley and under his watch United were much more competitive against some of the division's best sides, before taking what has to be described as a big step back against Villa as a mix of quality from the opposition, and poor defending from United, saw Unai Emery's men go 4-0 up inside half an hour before easing off the gas.

The manager will potentially now learn more about the character of his players in this week, then he has in his two months back at the helm. "I will do. It’s easy to play when the sun’s shining and the game’s easy but this is a tough one to take and it’s a massive test for the players now," Wilder added.

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"All eyes will be on the body language and character of the group. Are they going into a corner, a little group, saying: 'It wasn’t my fault’ or ‘I did this right, I did that right, but the manager or coaches got it wrong and I’m alright?' That gets you nowhere.

"You have to suffer through the tough periods and obviously it’s going to be a tough period now. Everyone will have their opinion on us, which I totally accept, and I should imagine the majority of our supporters will have an opinion on everything.

"They have that right to and I wouldn’t deny that as well, but as always we can only affect what’s happening going forward. I will, and the coaches will. But most importantly the players need to affect what’s going to go off between now and the end of the season."