Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder on repairing 'disconnect' between club and the fans and how his relationship with Prince Abdullah is fixed + Fenerbahce

The 56-year-old was unveiled as Blades manager on Tuesday afternoon, with the lifelong Unitedite having signed an 18-month deal.

Wilder - who previously managed the club almost five years between May 2016 and March 2021 - inherits a side who are in deep strife at the foot of the Premier League after a torrid opening to the campaign which has seen them gather just five points from their opening 14 matches, featuring just one win.

Grim back-to-back losses to Bournemouth and Burnley have increased the disquiet among Blades followers, with Wilder entrusted with bringing a club back together and improving results.

The fixture gods have not been exactly kind with his first game being at home to Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Wilder said: “Thanks very much for the fixture, but 30-odd thousand at Bramall Lane on a Wednesday night under the lights against arguably one of the best teams in Europe is a tough start, but it’s one we are going to attack and have a right go.

"That’s going to be the attitude from me and the players - to ignite the supporters as there’s been a bit of a disconnect, especially over the last two games.

"We’re in it for a reason and have got to enjoy the challenge and that’s my message to the players. We’ve got to set the ball rolling to connect with those supporters because, as we all know, under the lights at Bramall Lane is a fabulous place to go and play football and we’ve nothing to lose.

"We’ve got to earn the trust of the supporters back.”

On the subject of repairs, Wilder has reiterated that his relationship with Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - despite false rumours of being fractured at the time of his departure in March 2021 - has stayed strong and has highlighted specific support from the Prince since he left Bramall Lane.

He added: “There’s certain things I probably shouldn’t have got involved in and this is what happened.

"But it has been repaired, over time and there’s a reason why Prince Abdullah wants me to come back to the football club, regardless of what other people and think. He feels I am the best man to do the job and I’m delighted he thinks that.

"There’s a lot of people that go off without people knowing what really goes off. Even quickly after I left, I received messages from Prince Abdullah talking about what happened and wishing me and my family all the best in my future and my future journey and even as reference for future jobs.

"I remember there was a job at Fenerbahce and he talked to me and said: ‘If you need to, use me as a reference - go ahead. I’ve got good connections and I’ll be advising the owner at Fenerbahce to give you a call.’”