Chris Wilder hopes Sander Berge gets a 'Sheffield United welcome' on Bramall Lane return

Those who are hostile towards the midfielder when he runs out for Burnley on Saturday will be because of a contract situation which made the Blades feel they had to cash in on their Norway international. Manager Wilder has warned they must try to avoid putting themselves in that uncomfortable position again.

It was Wilder who brought Berge to South Yorkshire in a then-club record £23m move from Genk.

The midfielder was signed to take a club that were halfway towards a ninth-placed Premier League finish when he joined in January 2020 to the next level, but he ended up playing two seasons in the Championship after relegation in 2021.

During Berge's time in the second tier there was constant speculation he would move away but the Blades rebuffed interest in both last season’s transfer windows.

If he was in any way unhappy about it, it did not show in his performances, and the decision to keep Berge and fellow prize asset Iliman Ndiaye in spite of financial problems which are ultimately set to see the club start next season on minus two points was rewarded with promotion.

However, on the eve of this season the Blades decided it made no sense to allow Berge and Ndiaye to enter the final year of their contracts and both were sold, arguably sabotaging their hopes of staying up before they even kicked off.

That was not the players' fault, and Wilder hopes Berge's service is recognised at the weekend.

"I've got to say I didn't see at times the criticisms levelled at him by certain supporters," he commented. "He came in a fabulous period for us.

"We tried to get him at the start of the (2019-20) season, we managed to get him in that (January) period and he had a big end of the season, played six (holding midfielder), played eight (box-to-box midfielder), played as one of two sixes.

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"I know there's talk they (Paul Heckingbottom's coaching staff) made him into an eight, they didn't. He was an really good all-round midfield player. I remember him scoring against Tottenham here as a high eight.

"He's a good player. The situation last summer was disappointing and something from our point of view we can all learn from in terms of allowing that situation to happen.

"I understood why the club had to capitalise and cash in. It's not a great situation when players are allowed to run their contracts down. I didn't like it.

"Hopefully that won't happen going forward.

"(Berge)’s a great kid a popular boy in the changing room. When he was playing in the Championship, at full tilt, (I enjoyed) the way he drove past players and his passing.

"He's a talented boy.

"Do I want him to play well on Saturday? No. Do I want him to get a result on Saturday? No.

"I hope he gets a Sheff United welcome, a little clap at the start maybe – I'm not sure everybody will see it that way – and then it's game on, us against them, our football club against their football club. We have to make it as difficult as possible for him and their players on the pitch and I'm sure that feel, that sweet-spot of our support between positive and not hostile but just edging towards that uncomfortable feeling we try to make other teams feel."

Neither Jack Robinson nor Jayden Bogle will play on Saturday, when a home win will move the Blades a point behind Burnley with five further matches each to play, but the manager is confident both should play again this season. He is less sure about Rhian Brewster, Daniel Jebbsion and Tom Davies with a balance to strike between risk and reward.

"They're struggling for the weekend so that's a blow for us," said Wilder of defenders Robinson and Bogle.

"It's two influential players in the group, Jack, from a leadership and Jayden's been, I would say, definitely since I've come back to the football club, one of our most outstanding players in the way he's gone about his business in the Premier League so it's disappointing."

Not that is has all been bad news on the injury front.

"(The) reintroduction onto the grass on Thursday of Daniel Jebbison, that's good news," said Wilder. "Rhian Brewster's returned to training.

"I saw Tom Davies out there as well today. He's back on the grass doing pitch-based stuff.

"Whether the decision to put them in before the end of the season is taken or risked, we'll sit down with the medical department and go through that and try and make sensible decisions."

Striker Jebbison has not played all season after complications around a blood clot but the Blades see the 20-year-old as a key figure in their planned rebuild around young players and Wilder is confident a new contract is only a few crossed ts and dotted is from agreement.