Sheffield United v Sunderland: Alex Neil explains why his side are about to face their biggest test yet

Alex Neil feels Sunderland are about to face their biggest test yet since returning to the Championship.
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The Black Cats travel to Bramall Lane to face a Sheffield United side who have serious promotion ambitions this season and made it to the play-off semi finals last season.

That also came after a poor start to the campaign, the decision to replace Slavisa Jokanovic with Paul Heckingbottom sparking a superb run of form through the second half of the season.

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United will be without influential striker Billy Sharp due to an ankle injury, but Neil has underlined the scale of the challenge his team is facing all the same.

Sunderland boss Alex NeilSunderland boss Alex Neil
Sunderland boss Alex Neil

"This will be our biggest test to date, for me," he said.

"Without a doubt. What they've got more than anything else is their experience. If you look at this team, I know last season they were in the Championship but before that they spent two years in the Premier League. You look at Sander Berge, John Fleck, Oli Norwood, that was their midfield three that finished I think eighth in the Premier League.

"Not bad, are they? It's going to be a tough game.

"I think it'll go to another level for us, particularly away from home. At Bramall Lane Sheffield United are really, really strong, you look at the run they went on last year.

"They had [Slavisa] Jokanovic who is a great coach, been promoted from the Championship twice, and he tried to change the dynamic of how they played which is something that had been ingrained in them for five or six seasons.

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"It didn't work, and then Paul Heckingbottom came in from being the U23s coach and just pretty much went back to the way things were, and the players have just kicked on from there. Their record from that point on is remarkable in terms of how competitive they are, how dangerous they are.

"They've got guys on the bench that they've bought for the best part of £20 million quid. That's the nature of where we are."

Sunderland are without Dan Ballard and Carl Winchester for the game, with both players potentially facing an extended spell on the sidelines.

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