Sheffield United's Enda Stevens keeps his eyes on the promotion prize as he reveals there is no rest for the wing-back

Blades assistant manager Stuart McCall says four home players will feature at Bramall Lane on Tuesday when they ought not to, and there will be Millers in the same boat.

After Saturday's match against Cardiff City (Rotherham are at Luton Town), those not involved in Qatar will be recharging batteries. The next game is on December 10.

McCall and some of his coaching colleagues have booked time on the Canary Islands for much-needed "sun on our back".

Not everyone will be so keen to rest up. For left wing-back Enda Stevens the pause comes at a bad time.

The Republic of Ireland international is working up to full fitness after a calf injury even more badly timed with the 32-year-old in the final months of his contract.

Saturday against Burnley was the first match Stevens had started since the season’s opening weekend so his "break" will be all about trying to get into peak physical condition to face Huddersfield Town on the Championship's return.

"I don't see myself having a rest or a holiday," he says. "I don't see myself needing a break. There's a lot of lads will and they should but I'll be looking to keep busy. I need to get back to full fitness. It's going to take a while, that's just the way it is.

"We haven't really had chances to train or get a rezzie game so hopefully I'll come back in tip-top shape."

Being injured is bad enough for Stevens – "a nervous watcher but a supportive one" – but it came in the midst of an epidemic of injuries to left-sided defenders.

"There was one stage where every lad in the gym doing rehab was left-footed bar one, I think," he says. "You could see lads stepping in, Bashy (Chris Basham) going to left-sided centre-half, Ozzy (Ben Osborn) at wing-back.

"We know have that strength in depth that we're going to need over the course of the season.

"It's tough because you want to be out there. You're more nervous watching than playing.

"It's frustrating. It's mentally really tough. You have some dark days when you're in there on your own and you've just got to try and get the best out of what you can. Trying to stay positive, that's the hardest part."

It is not only because he will not be putting his feet up that Stevens is not interested in thinking about the break just yet, it is part of the whole mentality driving the club he has been a key figure in for five-and-a-half years.

"This is going to be a really tough game (against Rotherham) and I don't think any of us are even thinking about the break at the minute," he says. "We've got a really big week ahead of us, we're in a good run of form, we want to maintain that.

"We don't want to be slack, we don't want to start slow. They'll be tough competitors and it'll be a fast game, we'll have our work cut out. We need to be on top of our game."

With Georgie Kelly and Conor Washington injured, there will be even more emphasis on Stevens' international colleague Chiedozie Ogbene up front for Rotherham.

"He burst onto the scene with Ireland and he's been fantastic for us," says Stevens. "He's playing as a striker now, he was a wing-back before.

"He's a good player, very direct. He'll be a handful but hopefully we can keep him quiet."

New contracts are something else Stevens refuses to consider.

"When you’re injured you're more thinking about getting back playing and getting your body right because there's no point breaking down again," he argues.

"That's what seemed to be happening to me but it wasn't a major thing. It's something the physios found a resolution for, thankfully.

"I got something done that will hopefully help me now. Touch wood it's the right procedure and I'm fine.

"This break is new to us so we don't know what way to look at it. We're only going to look back on it as a good or a bad thing.

"We've got to focus on getting back right, we've got a big week with two games and we want to leave the best possible results out there, have the break, come back and prepare to start where we left off."

Win on Tuesday and Saturday, and the Blades go into that break top of the Championship.

"It's important but it's not something we're looking at because there's so much football left to be played," insists Stevens.

"We're not too keen on where we are, we're just keen on getting wins.

"We've got a big game at home so we want to put in a big performance there and we’ve picked up our away form so we want to maintain that."

The man is the definition of tunnel vision. In the zig-zagging Championship, you cannot afford to take your eye off the ball.

Last six games: Sheffield United WWWDLD; Rotherham United LLLDLWReferee: K Stroud (Hampshire)Last time: Sheffield United 2 Rotherham United 0, March 9, 2019, Championship