Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says he wants to remain in charge but that talks about his future “are not happening”.

The Blades are bottom of the Premier League, 15 points from safety with 12 matches remaining.

The 53-year-old, who has more than three years remaining on his contract, said he “definitely” wants to stay.

Asked if he will be at United next season, Wilder said: “I don’t know. I’ve not had those conversations.”

Wilder, a boyhood Blades fan, added: “I think they should be happening, but they’re not happening.

“We always plan short, medium and long term, but that plan is determined by other people.”

Wilder signed a new contract until 2024 in January 2020, with United eighth in the table. They ended the season – their first in the Premier League since 2006-07 – in ninth.

He said if the club “stick to the plan” he will remain with the side he guided to the top flight from League One.

“The plan as always was to leave a legacy, change things off the pitch, which need changing, and stick with the players we’ve invested in and add a couple and try to bounce back – simple as that,” Wilder said.

“We’ve had a glorious period in the football club’s history. Glorious. And I’ve really enjoyed it and being part of it.

“But nothing surprises you in football. You just get your head down and reflect and work away. Things change – we all understand that – but you crack on with it. And I’m cracking on with it.”

United, who have lost their past four league games, host Aston Villa at Bramall Lane on Wednesday.

Fulham midfielder Kevin McDonald says he has chronic kidney disease and is due to have a transplant next month.

“Football has been great but this needs to take over,” he told Fulham’s website.

“I want to get it done now, make sure everything is right and come back from it and live a normal life again.”

McDonald, who has been capped five times by Scotland, is hopeful of being able to continue playing professionally after the operation and a three-month recovery period, but while he has been sidelined with the condition this season he has been working with Fulham’s Under-23 and Under-18 sides to develop his coaching skills.

“I’m 32 and I could probably play until I’m 35. The Premier League is probably too fast, but I know where I am in my career,” he said.

“Will I want to play football? Will I be ready physically or mentally or do I go down the coaching route? I won’t know until I get the operation done and see how I will feel.”

McDonald joined Fulham from Wolves in 2016 and has made 128 appearances, but has not figured for the London club this season because of the illness, and has also turned down chances to move on loan.

His operation was due to take place this month but Covid-19 has meant a delay to all transplants. However, he hopes it will happen in April, with his brother and one of his best friends both preparing to donate a kidney.

“I’ve prepared my whole career knowing a transplant was the end goal,” he said. “We wanted it to happen after football, but the way recent test results have gone, it’s going to be quicker than that.

“I could hold on and have dialysis four times a week to finish my career but there comes a point when certain things just have to be done.

“There are so many benefits for me to have a living donor and I owe my life to them.”

He probably didn’t have a relegation battle in mind.

But after three wins in their following 17 games, he says they do not yet have enough points – 30 -to stay in the league.

With a mounting injury list, Saints have lost eight and drawn one of their past nine matches and the good vibes from that win over Newcastle 16 weeks ago seem a distant memory.

If they carry that form on for the rest of the season there is a real possibility they will be relegated.

“If I was in the Southampton changing room I’d probably be pretty fearful about going to Sheffield United,” said Leon Osman after witnessing the Saints’ 1-0 defeat by Everton for BBC Radio 5 Live.

The Saints, who are 14th on 30 points, visit the Premier League’s bottom side – who have won only three games all season – on Saturday.

Fulham, in 18th, play Tottenham on Thursday, so what is now a seven-point cushion above the relegation zone could be reduced still further by the time they kick off at the weekend.

“Thirty points is not enough to stay in the league – we need points and maybe next weekend,” Hasenhuttl told BBC Sport.

“We are in a moment where we are short of scoring goals and that makes it difficult to win. We are struggling to put the ball in the net. [Despite] the problems we have at the moment with the injuries and the run that we are on, I saw a team that was fighting until the end. I saw spirit.

“Everybody knows that getting the first win is the most important and we are fighting for it.”

Southampton’s only points in 2021 have come from surprising sources – a 1-0 win over Liverpool on 4 January and a 1-1 draw with Chelsea nine days ago.

“You thought the draw against Chelsea would kick-start their season again but it hasn’t,” said Osman. “There will be real questions for Ralph Hasenhuttl and then in due course that he’ll ask his players.

“This doesn’t seem to be the Southampton team that we were watching before Christmas. We thought they were competing for the top four at one point. They look like a side that has fallen off the edge of a cliff.

“Not only can they not keep clean sheets, they look like they are lacking confidence. They are passing the buck in front of goal.”

Southampton have won just one point from the last 27 on offer in the Premier League – with five consecutive away defeats for the first time since May 2015. In contrast, Fulham have picked up 11 points from their past nine games.

All six teams below Southampton have won at least one of their past five matches.

But the Saints are remaining confident.

Southampton defender Jan Bednarek said “there is always sun after the rain”.

“It is very frustrating because we tried hard, and it’s not going how we want it to,” he told Sky Sports. “Hopefully it’ll be a massive lesson for us, and it will improve us in the future. It’s a tough moment, but we’ve got to work hard and stick together as a team.”

Hasenhuttl believes his side will be safe and told BBC Radio 5 Live he is lucky he does not need to worry about his position.

“We have shown that we can be a different side also,” he added in a post-match news conference. “It’s hard work to do, but when you know us as a club and team and what we have done in the past you can be sure we will find a way out.”

Newcastle United forwards Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin have both been ruled out until April after picking up injuries in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Wolves.

Almiron went off with a knee injury at half-time, while Saint-Maximin suffered a groin injury in the 63rd minute.

Steve Bruce’s side are already without top-scorer Callum Wilson until April with a hamstring injury.

Newcastle are three points clear of Fulham in the final relegation spot.

Right-back Emil Krafth, who also went off inured, is expected to train later in the week.

Almiron, who joined Newcastle from Atlanta United in January 2019, has five goals and three assists in 29 appearances this season.

Saint-Maximin, who has suffered from the long-term effects of coronavirus, has two goals and three assists from 17 games this campaign.

Their 4-1 victory courtesy of three goals inside the final 10 minutes means City have not dropped points in the league since drawing with West Bromwich Albion on 15 December and are now 15 points clear at the top of the table.

During that time they have played 21 games in all competitions, reached the final of the League Cup, the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and taken control of their last-16 Champions League tie against Borussia Monchengladbach.

“In winter time in England it’s hell and in that time we did something incredible,” Guardiola told BBC Sport. “It’s more than remarkable.

“The players have all my compliments but Liverpool have the crown. To win the Premier League we need those points.”

An unlikely second-half equaliser from Conor Coady – cancelling out Leander Dendoncker’s first-half own goal – had threatened to thwart City’s pursuit of a 15th consecutive Premier League win.

In what was an otherwise one-side encounter, Coady’s 61st-minute header – his first Premier League goal and his team’s first touch in their opponents’ penalty area – gave the visitors hope of earning at least a point.

However Gabriel Jesus put City back in front at Etihad Stadium with a shot on the turn from Kyle Walker’s deflected cross.

With Wolves’ spirit broken, in-form Riyad Mahrez fired in his seventh league goal of the season before Brazil striker Jesus got his second with virtually the final kick as VAR ruled his effort onside.

The leaders face second-placed Manchester United on Sunday with the chance to move another step closer to the title.

“We have one or two days to rest and I realise how strong they are,” Guardiola said of United “It’s an incredible opportunity to make a huge step and we are going to try.”

Slick City stroll on

There were so many pre-game statistics that pointed to a 21st consecutive victory for the league leaders and they included one that dates back more than a decade.

Not since Peter Crouch scored Tottenham’s goal in May 2010 to earn victory in what was effectively a shootout for a Champions League place had City lost a midweek Premier League game.

Marton Fulop was their goalkeeper that night, and it is fair to say City have advanced a long way since then.

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo certainly recognised their threat and likely dominance, selecting a team with two right-backs and no striker.

It was a measure of Nuno’s caution that when Adama Traore was fouled at the start of the second-half and referee Chris Kavanagh played advantage as the ball ran on to Nelson Semedo, he complained because he knew there was more chance of joy from the set piece than open play.

The fact that after 28 minutes City midfielder Rodri had completed more passes than the entire Wolves team demonstrated the home side’s dominance.

One of those passes was important too, delivered over 40 yards from the centre of the pitch over the Wolves defence to the feet of Mahrez, whose cross led to the opening goal.

Dendoncker knew he had to go for the ball otherwise Raheem Sterling would have had a tap-in.

Coady’s equaliser was an unexpected setback for Guardiola’s side but as was the case with West Ham United on Saturday, Wolves were unable to cling on to a point as City equalled a club-record 28 games without defeat.

City have also equalled Arsenal’s Premier League record of 19 games without trailing at any point.

Patricio’s defensive barrier

That Wolves got as late into the game with a chance of taking something from it was largely down to goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

In the seconds before half-time, the Portugal Euro 2016 winner produced a superb full-length save to turn away Bernardo Silva’s header.

The second period was then only minutes old when Patricio pushed a Kevin de Bruyne shot wide as it appeared certain to find the bottom corner. Then he blocked a powerful Jesus effort that was also heading in.

He earned the luck he enjoyed when Silva fired a rebound from his own effort over the bar and when Sterling’s blind back-flick at the near post fizzed just wide of the far post rather than just inside it.

In the end, not even the combination of Patricio and good fortune could save Wolves and there was to be no repeat of their victory last season.

“We must look at the game because we made a couple of mistakes under the pressure of City and they are very dangerous and they will punish you,” said Wolves boss Nuno.

“City are very talented; amazing players, amazing manager. All the other teams that come here find it difficult because they are a good opponent.”

Carlo Ancelotti says he wants Everton to experience the feeling of “touching” the top four after a win over Southampton that sets up a chance to overtake their rivals on Thursday.

Richarlison rounded Fraser Forster to score the only goal of the game against the struggling Saints as Ancelotti’s side moved level on points with Liverpool and two points behind fourth-placed West Ham with a game in hand.

If they beat West Bromwich Albion on Thursday they will move into fourth ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea, who play each other later the same evening.

“We have a great opportunity,” said Ancelotti after a first league win at home since 19 December. “I don’t know for how long it will be, maybe for one day, or two or three, but we would like to touch the position, so we have to put all our fight into the game on Thursday.

“We have to try to see how we feel if we are there.”

Richarlison’s goal, which came from Gylfi Sigurdsson’s pass, was one of two shots on target in a game where both sides failed to find any consistent rhythm.

Michael Keane’s effort was ruled out for offside while Dominic Calvert-Lewin did well to head James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick clear.

The best chances for the visitors came at the end when Moussa Djenepo fired just wide of the far post after a promising move before Jordan Pickford saved from Jannik Vestergaard, leaving Danny Ings kicking a post in frustration.

Defeat for the injury-hit Saints was an eighth in nine games as they remain seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Everton’s season has been an inconsistent affair, with their home form proving their biggest hindrance in an otherwise enterprising campaign.

But key to ending a run of three consecutive league losses at Goodison Park was the return of Brazilian Allan, who added extra protection in a midfield that has often left the defence exposed.

His first start since 16 December allowed Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes to support Sigurdsson at the tip of a midfield diamond, and it was the Iceland international’s through ball that sliced Southampton’s defence to open the scoring.

The goal came from a Pickford long ball won in the air by the irrepressible Calvert-Lewin. The England striker was a thorn in Southampton’s side and combined well up top in the absence of the injured James Rodriguez, who missed the game with a “really light problem”, according to Ancelotti.

Both Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison also helped in defence as Everton thwarted dangerous set-pieces from Ward-Prowse.

Richarlison, who has scored in three successive Premier League games for the first time since December 2019, could have added to his 11th of the season when he almost poked in Sigurdsson’s free-kick.

But as Southampton pressed for an equaliser, it was Everton’s defence that held firm as Ancelotti avoided suffering a fourth successive home league defeat for the first time in his career.

It was not a pretty victory, but it came amid huge relief as Everton assistant Duncan Ferguson punched the air at the final whistle.

Calvert-Lewin said it was a result that underlined the squad’s European ambitions.

He said: “You have to believe, absolutely. Our aspiration has to be top four until it’s not possible. Nights like tonight – that consistency – is what will get us up there.

“Everyone wants to play Champions League football. It’s where we belong. It’s important I keep scoring goals, Richarlison keeps scoring, we defend well and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Saints’ alarming slump since the turn of the year was summed up by Ings’ frustration towards the end of this hard-fought game.

After beating Everton’s Merseyside rivals at Anfield on 4 January, Hasenhuttl’s side were sixth, equal on points with fourth-placed Tottenham.

Since then, however, a single point from nine games has engineered a slide to seven points above the drop zone. While relegation looks unlikely, they look a shadow of their former selves, especially with Oriol Romeu being ruled out for the rest of the season, joining the likes of Takumi Minamino, Kyle Walker-Peters and Theo Walcott on the sidelines.

Renowned for their unrelenting press, the visitors retreated to a deeper position on a chilly night at Goodison Park, and were picked off by the hosts’ more direct approach.

Forster was preferred in goal to Alex McCarthy in an attempt to reverse their slide, but one of the first actions for the England goalkeeper was to pick the ball out of the net.

The visitors improved midway through the first half, but lacked a punch up front even though Ings was restored to the attack alongside Che Adams.

Yet it was not until the final stages where they truly caused problems for Everton as Djenepo had Hasenhuttl holding his head in his hands as the winger missed the target after good play from Stuart Armstrong.

It looked as if they might finally eke out a leveller when Djenepo’s shot was blocked by Mason Holgate and fell to Vestergaard, but he slipped at a vital moment and a tame shot – Southampton’s first on target after 90 minutes – was pushed aside by Pickford.