Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder believes Norwich City have an “outstanding manager” in Philippe Clement.
Wilder has developed a good relationship with the Belgian since the pair first crossed paths last season, when the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane before Norwich came out on top 2-1 at Carrow Road in March.
The latest meeting promises to be another intriguing contest, with the Canaries still searching for a first away win of the campaign and United unbeaten in all competitions.
Wilder’s group also head into Saturday’s clash buoyed by a dramatic stoppage-time victory over Bolton Wanderers in midweek, but the Blades boss expects Norwich to provide a tough test this weekend.
“I like Philippe (Clement); I got to know him over the last couple of games. I like the way his team played last season.
"They obviously got off to a bad start, and he rescued them and got them a little bit higher in the table. They weren't as low as us, and they got a little bit higher than us,” Wilder told official club channels.
“But the narrative around there is they're going to have a good season; they're well coached, they've got a really outstanding manager, and they're always lively, tasty affairs, whether they're at Bramall Lane or whether they're at Carrow Road.”
Despite United’s positive start, Wilder doesn’t believe people should be reading too much into the Championship table at this stage.
“Everybody talks about 10 games, don't they? But I don't think... I think this division is just unique; you're never out of it,” he said.
“You can come from nowhere and put a run together. Coventry, in the year that Frank (Lampard) took over, had an incredible run when they were around the bottom.
“I don't want to be around the bottom. I don't think that we'll be around the bottom. I don't want to slip down the table.
“We want to look upwards. With a group of players, I believe we can look upwards or be at least consistent with the results to keep us in a nice, comfortable position.
“But you're always looking to win the next game. And like anything else, if you win three points, you're going to climb the table, so that's the key.
“We've got off to a decent start in our away games. We've got a result, a home win.
“And hopefully a positive result against a team that we know a lot about over the years and a team that is expected to go well.”
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