Sheffield United mindset up there with Chris Basham and Billy Sharp, says Chris Wilder

The Blades suffered a demoralising 3-1 defeat at home to Leeds United on Monday, in a game where they were by far the better team in the opening half-hour, and still level as the game went into its 89th minute.

They must show a reaction at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, and their manager is confident they will.

"It is a strength of ours but any team that wants to compete at the top of the division, we all have to have those qualities," he says.

"The enthusiasm these boys show, the personality, the character – which are words I've said right through the season – have impressed me and should be impressing our fanbase.

"They're prepared to dig deep, prepared to enjoy it when we do well and prepared to fight for the badge and fight for the shirt.

"I've had two or three sets of players including the likes of (Chris) Basham and the skipper (Billy Sharp). These boys are showing the same qualities. They're a delight to work with.

"We've had a lot of challenges this season, I would say more challenges than I've ever had as a manager, more than I've ever had at this football club and possibly going hand in hand with some really difficult financial challenges I've had at previous clubs as well.

"But you come into work, there's a smile on everybody's face. There's disappointment when it doesn't go as we want it to but there's genuine togetherness.

"You see it in training sessions, in games, when they're acting together downstairs, in the changing room before or after games, on the bus or having a bite to eat.

"I listen to players who have been here a long time and how they talk positively about the group, I listen to players who have only been here five minutes, like when Harry Souttar came into the group and went, 'Wow, this is a really good group to work with.'

"This football club doesn't have a team full of John Terrys, Frank Lampards, Kevin de Bruynes, Steven Gerrards that win things year on year and play for their country. You've got to enjoy this.

"Out of a career that spans 10, 15 years, if you get three or four promotions, that's good going.

"We're in line for success if we continue the way we're going about it so they have to embrace it, enjoy it and really grab it."