Sheffield United ready to get tough in the battle to keep their squad sharp
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With no games set to take place until April 30 at the earliest - although that date is expected to be rolled back next week - Wilder’s team have spent the past week working at home following the closure of the Steelphalt Academy complex.
Although Wilder has paid tribute to their professionalism on numerous occasions, Oliver Norwood revealed coaching staff have warned anyone who fails to adhere to the gruelling programme United’s conditioning department has devised will be punished.
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Hide Ad“We trained until Monday afternoon,” the midfielder said. “Since then, we’ve been sent home with heart monitors, wattbikes, treadmills and we have to check in three times a day.
“All the stuff’s recorded on your mobile and it goes straight to the fitness coach. It registers everything so there’s no hiding place.”
“We did one (simulated bike ride) that was like the Tour de France,” Norwood added. “it was an hour and 15 minutes long.
“We could be waiting six weeks, we could be waiting six months, so we have to be ready.”
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Hide AdSeventh in the table with 10 matches remaining, United have been without a game since the start of this month. They were also preparing for an FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal when the PL, in tandem with the Football Association and the English Football League, decided to suspend the fixture calendar due to the global pandemic.