Billy Sharp has admitted that he had guessed Sheffield United were set to part company with Chris Wilder but admitted that the manager's departure was still something of a shock for his squad.
The Blades split with the 53-year-old after almost five years in charge at Bramall Lane earlier this week, with the club rooted firmly at the bottom of the Premier League and set for relegation.
Former Leeds boss Paul Heckingbottom took charge of Sunday's game, a 5-0 drubbing against Leicester City to further compound their woes, but forward Sharp acknowledged that the writing had been on the wall for Wilder while stressing that the club are far behind the standards they have set for themselves.