BBC and BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton says he has been left gobsmacked by how well Sheffield United have performed in the Premier League this season.

The former Blackburn Rovers and Celtic striker was one of those who predicted that the Blades would be relegated and he can’t believe how well Chris Wilder’s side have performed:

“Let’s get it right, we all had them down for relegation at the start of the season. They’re now on the brink of Champions League football – that is unbelievable.They deserve it for their performances this season, but, you know, they’re an absolute freak for a promoted team.”

As Sutton says, it is extraordinary how well the Yorkshire side have done despite having pretty much kept together the same squad that got them promoted from the Championship last season.

Wilder has made some smart purchases in the transfer market, with the likes of Lys Mousset and Sander Berge having been brought in. However, for the most part, it has been a solid core of players, who have been at the club for a number of years, that have been central to the team’s rise to seventh in the table. Remarkably, with just ten games to go, they are just five points off the top four.