New chief Chris Wilder spells out what is now required to be a true Sheffield United

Even more so when the club are about to embark upon their sixth successive season in League One, seen very much as a penance by legions of Unitedites.

The club’s quest to rid themselves of the shackles of the third tier has been thoroughly onerous, with the heavy-duty pressure having proved too much for many Blades players collectively tasked with getting the club back into the Championship.

Perhaps only Danny Wilson’s class of 2011-12 showed themselves to be made of the requisite stuff when it came to plotting a path back to the second level, with the Blades desperately unfortunate not to be promoted during a season when they amassed 90 points, but failed to finish in the top two.

Each additional year without promotion brings added pressure to Blades players, who palpably failed to handle the demands of the club’s fan-base during a forgettable 2015-16 campaign, in the final analysis.

The loss of eight league matches at Bramall Lane adds fuel to the fire, with the Blades’ home record being just the 13th best in League One last season – a sorry statistic given the backing they receive which is the envy of the overwhelming majority of their rivals.

It has now been entrusted upon Wilder to build a United side fit for purpose, in terms of ability, organisation and mentality.

When it comes to bringing in new recruits, the 48-year-old is unequivocal that attitude and character is every bit as important as technical prowess when wearing the red and white striped shirt of the Blades.

Wilder stressed: “It’s in front, if I am honest, even though character and attitude shouldn’t be behind ability.

“There’s four different parts of being a really good player. Technically, we want them to be good players who pass the ball and make good decisions and, tactically, we want them to do that and play in a way we want them to do and be adaptable and versatile.

“Physically, it’s a tough competition. It’s 46 games over nine months and different conditions and weather through ups and downs.

“But just as big, if not as big, is the mentality of the player. He has to stick his lot in and be prepared to play in the team and sacrifice himself for a team and club ethic.

“I don’t see that changing at any level, really.

“You look at the top leagues and most successful teams of the last 10 years. Look at Manchester United and Chelsea and the teams who have done well in the four divisions this year.

“Look at the teams who got out of this division. Burton and Wigan had good technical players, but their mentality was really good, too.

“Burnley have also been fantastic this season without the biggest budget, and mentally they were really strong.

“The stand-out team who surprised everybody in Leicester also had some special stand-out qualities – such as the togetherness and attitude of their players.

“We will base it on all four things and they can’t have one without the other. The mentality of players is massive throughout the season.”

Wilder started to make inroads in the transfer market last week, with the capture of Birmingham City winger Mark Duffy and Bury left-back Chris Hussey, with the Blades chief now targeting other additions across the pitch, with central defence being a priority area with the club’s options in that department minimal.

Crucially, the Sheffielder believes that Duffy and Hussey both possess the right characteristics to be a Blades player, alongside their technical skills, with the Bramall Lane chief intent on cultivating a hardened collective mindset among all those who stride out for the club next season in 2016-17.

The former Northampton Town chief, whose side’s togetherness and esprit de corps was a major facet in the Cobblers’ League Two title success in 2015-16, added: “We want to create a group of players who know that for nine or 10 months, they are going to be together through thick and thin, different battles and challenges and there has to be harmony between them and competitiveness between them.

“I want them to fall out for the right reasons and get on with each other for the right reasons.

“But that dressing room has to be together from the day we walk back into the building until the day we go for our summer holidays.

“We need to pulling in the right direction. We are going to have a few rows along the way, there’s going to be discussions and fallings-out.

“But we do it for the right reasons – to win games of football on a regular basis and be successful at the end of the season.

“There’s times out here when things aren’t going to go our way. But if we get it rolling and going in the right direction, surely it’s got to be an advantage.

“I know these supporters, I know they are desperate for success. If players give their lot and put it all out there, then people appreciate that.

“Every time I walk out this tunnel, I just envisage it going well here and supporters being behind us. But players have to be able to handle that.

“I think these are exciting times. With the players we have brought, people recognise that they are the ones who can get us out of this division with a few others and the players we have already got.”

The Blades have confirmed their pre-season schedule, with their marquee game seeing them host Derby County on July 27.

They will visit Grimsby Town four days earlier at Blundell Park on July 23.