Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay says Sheffield United may have missed fans more than most.
Supporters have started to return to football matches in limited numbers since the second national lockdown ended at the beginning of the month.
Yet with Sheffield under tier 3 coronavirus restrictions, people still can’t attend games at Bramall Lane.
It means tonight’s home fixture with Man United will once again be played behind closed doors.
The Blades could do with some support, having made the worst start in Premier League history in 2020/21.
They’ve lost 11 of their 12 games so far and have just one point ahead of the visit of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
Last time the Red Devils came to South Yorkshire last season, they helped inspire a late comeback from the hosts.
Man United scored three goals in just seven second half minutes after John Fleck and Lys Mousset had given the Blades a 2-0 lead.
But Oli McBurnie turned in a 90th-minute equaliser to send Bramall Lane into raptures.
Scott McTominay on the Blades’ struggles
McTominay will play his 100th match for the Red Devils if he features this evening.
And the Scotland international understands how much the fans help Chris Wilder’s team.
“It’s a team where people say they need their fans,” McTominay told the club’s official website. “Every team needs their fans, but Sheffield United’s support is amazing.
“One of my friends is a Sheffield United fan and he speaks to me regularly about the passion and the love for the football club.
“Obviously for them, the fans are a big miss and everything that goes on with the fans on a match day is a big miss. But Sheffield United are a very, very good team and they’ve had some really difficult results.
“It’s a game we have to respect and we can’t take our foot off the gas because they’ve had a difficult start to a different, challenging Premier League season. They’ll be coming at us at 100 miles an hour and we have to be ready.”
