Paul Heckingbottom enjoyed the perfect start as permanent Sheffield United boss as his side beat Bristol City 2-0 last time out.

That moved the Blades up to 13th in the table and whilst they are seven points behind the play-off places, there's no doubting they will be looking forward as they try to close the gap in the coming weeks.

The December period could be crucial to that, with Championship sides set to play six games by New Year's Day.

So, the fixtures come thick and fast and here we look at TWO dilemmas facing Heckingbottom ahead of this run...

How to manage the players

This will be an issue for all managers, particularly over Christmas when teams play three games in a week.

During that time, rotation will be required, so it will be interesting to see how Heckingbottom approaches those games. Pleasingly for him, he does have a big squad to choose from, and he will need to make some tough decisions to ensure players stay fresh, whilst also understanding the desperation to get results.

It's a tough balancing act because the Blades need to keep winning games.

Who plays as number nine

In terms of specific positions, the major dilemma facing the boss is going to be up front.

Rhian Brewster lead the line against the Robins and scored a good goal, but he suffered a slight knock towards the end. As well as the former Liverpool man, Sheffield United have Oli McBurnie, Billy Sharp, Lys Mousset and David McGoldrick, so they really are spoilt for choice.

Heckingbottom will want to give players a run in the team and it will be intriguing to see who is the first choice moving forward.