"Not a big friendship" - Sheffield United: Chris Wilder reveals Danny Rohl stance ahead of Sheffield Wednesday clash | OneFootball

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has given his verdict on the job Danny Rohl has done at Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has praised the job Danny Rohl has done at Sheffield Wednesday ahead of the meeting between the two teams on Sunday.

Rohl replaced Xisco Munoz at Hillsborough last October when Wednesday were sitting bottom of the Championship table with just three points to their name, but he somehow managed to lead them to safety following a remarkable turnaround.

The German received plenty of plaudits for keeping the Owls in the division, and while his side have been a little inconsistent in the first few months of this season, they currently sit 15th in the table, just four points from the play-off places.

With Wednesday and United back in the same division for the first time in five years, both sets of supporters are preparing for the hotly-anticipated return of the Steel City derby this weekend, and it looks set to be an intriguing contest.

The Blades come into the game sitting second in the table after a run of three consecutive victories, while the Owls bounced back from their humilating 6-2 defeat to Watford on Saturday with a comfortable 2-0 win over Norwich City on Tuesday night, so both sides should be in confident mood.

Chris Wilder issues Danny Rohl verdict ahead of Steel City derby

As well as being the manager of the club, Wilder is a passionate United fan, so he will be desperate to lead his side to victory over Wednesday this weekend, but speaking ahead of the game, he took time to commend the job that Rohl has done at Hillsborough, revealing that he has a lot of respect for the 35-year-old.

When asked about his recent meeting with Rohl at a restaurant in Sheffield, Wilder told The Star: "I bump into quite a few people in Nonna’s!

"Especially when I’ve had a couple. But yeah, he’s a good guy. I’ve got to say, he did an outstanding job. I think everyone thought that Sheffield Wednesday were dead and buried when he came in and he put life into them, and the run they went on was fantastic. That’s my football head talking on that. But I’ve got a huge amount of respect for what him and Henrik [Pedersen, assistant manager] have done there.

"He’s highly regarded and I should imagine a highly sought-after manager now, after they comfortably stayed in the division. He deserves an enormous amount of credit for what he’s done there. So I bumped into him and he’ll be invited in for a drink on Sunday, win lose or draw.

"I like him, I like his approach and his attitude and he’s a good guy. But he’s on the opposite side on Sunday and I think we all understand what’s at stake. It’s not a big friendship, I’m not saying I go out for a beer or a coffee with him every other week. But I like him and I’ve got a lot of admiration and respect for the work he’s done so far."

There is certainly no love lost between Wilder and Wednesday supporters, but it was a classy touch from the United boss to praise his opposite number ahead of Sunday's meeting.

As Wilder says, the Owls looked destined to make an immediate return to League One when Rohl arrived at Hillsborough last October, and he did an outstanding job to keep the club in the Championship, something that many believed was impossible.

Rohl will be frustrated by his side's inconsistency so far this season, but while it may be tough for them to challenge for the play-offs, Wednesday have shown more than enough to suggest they can remain clear of any relegation danger.

Given that they are currently in the automatic promotion places, the Blades will go into the Steel City derby as strong favourites, but the Owls are capable of causing problems for any team in the division on their day.