Sheffield United's players handed 'victim' warning as Chris Wilder outlines key reset plan ahead of key summer

Chris Wilder has warned his Sheffield United players that any “victim” mentality, after last season’s Premier League struggle, will not be tolerated when his relegated Blades reconvene for a key pre-season campaign later this summer. The United chief is determined to hit the ground running as the Blades look to bounce back at the first attempt.

Any hopes of a quick start in the transfer market have been hampered by a frustrating state of limbo, as an American group continue their attempts to take control of the Blades from current owner Prince Abdullah. The impasse is understood to have impacted United’s approaches to Gabriel Osho, the out-of-contract Luton Town defender, and Alan Browne, who could leave Preston North End this summer.

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Although the transfer market will be one way of helping the Blades ‘reset’ after last season’s shocker, with as many as a dozen players already needed to replace those who have already left or are expected to depart between now and the start of the new season, boss Wilder must also find a way to restore the confidence of those who remain behind but may have been scarred by a season which saw United lose 28 of their 38 league games and concede a new Premier League record total of 104 goals.

The physical condition of United’s squad was another visible frustration for the Blades boss after he returned to the club in December, with United simply unable to get anywhere near the pace and power of the division and often visibly wilt towards the end of games. A pre-season campaign which currently kicks off in mid-July at York City will be one of the toughest yet for United’s players, with Wilder and his coaching staff keen to test them both mentally and physically ahead of a gruelling Championship campaign.

“The players know what pre-season is going to look like, and the message has been: ‘Get ready,’” Wilder said. “I’ve told them not to underestimate what it is going to be like, because we’ve got to set the bar high this summer in everything we do and get back to the standards we’ve previously set. If anyone falls by the wayside, then they’ll not be involved.

“The players I’ve got now, like Robinson and Bogle and Hamer, they’ll love those challenges. I think they’re really looking forward to it. They have to recuperate and get their heads right, of course, but on the first day of pre-season, we’ll be bright and buzzing and back at it.

“That isn't just running, but the demands of getting back to those standards people have talked about - where every day was a challenge and not just a day to tick off. Then there are the demands I'm going to be putting on them. You can’t be a victim; nobody can feel sorry for themselves. The culture will be reset.

“It’s going to be a tough, demanding pre-season – possibly the toughest they’ve ever encountered. The sign of a good player is not when the sun's shining; it's when it's raining and things are going against you. That's when you come through those periods. They have to give themselves a shake.”