Sander Berge's dressing room comparison as ex-Sheffield United man details how Burnley can win survival battle

Sander Berge, the former Sheffield United star, has told his Burnley teammates that they must remain together if they are to survive in the Premier League this season. It has been a season of struggle for both the automatically promoted clubs from the Championship last season, occupying the bottom two places in the top-flight.

Last weekend's victory at Luton for the Blades, coupled with Burnley's defeat at Liverpool, saw Chris Wilder's side draw level with the Clarets but both sides remain seven points adrift of the fourth-bottom Hatters, with 14 games of the season remaining. Berge swapped Bramall Lane for Turf Moor in the summer after United elected to cash in on their former record signing, rather than risk losing him for free in the summer, but he has still ended up in a relegation scrap - albeit one he believes is still surmountable.

“Spirit will be massive. The importance of that is everything,” the Norwegian said. “We’re showing it every day. People only see us at 3pm on a Saturday but throughout the week we’re pushing every single day trying to get better and working on the process. It’s easy to say, but I’ve been in different dressing rooms and it’s unreal what’s going on here.

“We stand strong, we stay together and we look at what we can improve. I’m proud of being part of a club like this that week in, week out has the personality to move on and see what we can do better. In the end I believe things will click because we trust the process.”

Follow the latest from the Blades with the The Star’s free football emails

The United dressing room that Berge was a part of certainly was not lacking in belief and togetherness, finishing ninth in the Premier League in the first season he signed and then winning promotion back to the top-flight in what proved to be his last campaign in United colours. But, as both sides are finding to their cost, that only takes you so far in the world's richest league.

United, who were spanked 5-0 by the Clarets in December in what proved to be Paul Heckingbottom's final game in charge, host Berge and Co. at Bramall Lane in late April and both sides will be hoping, by that stage, to still be in with a shout of survival and make that clash even more seismic. Speaking after the 3-1 defeat at Anfield, Berge added: “Coming out with that atmosphere was fantastic. These are the games you want to play.

“It was a performance we can be proud of, but at the same time this has to be the standard every week no matter who we play. This just shows what we are able to do if we play to our qualities, play with that extra flair. People showed a bit of swagger to take people on. But at the same time we have to back ourselves. With that you can go a long way.”