Billy Sharp makes honest admission after recent Sheffield United decision | OneFootball

Billy Sharp has admitted that the Sheffield United players had let standards slip in training after Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked last week.

The Blades were expected to be pushing for promotion this season but a tough start under the Serbian saw the side in the bottom half of the table. As a result, Jokanovic was dismissed, with Paul Heckingbottom named as his successor.

And, the former Barnsley chief got off to the perfect start as the permanent boss, with goals from Rhian Brewster and Sharp securing the three points.

though, the club captain gave an insight into how things were under Jokanovic, as he revealed the players have to look at themselves.

“Every single day counts. Our standards in training have not been good enough. It leads onto a game at a weekend. We need to be at each other everyday. Individual standards, if someone is not doing it we need to make sure they are pulling their weight.”

The win moved Sheffield United to 13th in the Championship, ahead of a trip to Cardiff City next week.

1 of 22

Sheffield United won 6+ Premier League games last season.

The verdict

You have to appreciate the honesty from Sharp here, although questions will be asked as to why the players were not good enough in training, as the captain admits.

That insight is quite telling when you see how Jokanovic struggled to get the best out of the squad but it’s now about looking to the future.

Sharp’s comments indicate everyone is now behind the new boss and that was reflected in what was an impressive display against the Robins, so it’s something to build on as they look to close the gap on the top six.