Neil Redfearn says the hard work will continue over the international break and believes it presents a good chance to implement more of his methods.

Redfearn collected his first three points since becoming the head coach as Saturday’s emphatic 3-1 win over Blackpool ended a worrying run of form.

United had not won in any of their previous eight games, but a dazzling first-half display with goals from Liam Cooper, Souleymane Doukara and Mirco Antenucci helped bring the cheer back to Elland Road.

Redfearn’s side now face a two-week wait for their next outing – the trip to face Blackburn at Ewood Park – but he insists the break in Championship football is not an excuse to switch off.

"They’ll get some time off but they’re going to work. It’s important that we put things in place now," said Redfearn.

"This is a great opportunity for us to really bed things down.

"We’ve turned it round – we started with a defeat, then we got a point and now we’ve got a win.

"We want to kick on now. The next few days are going to be really important for us. They’ll get the chance to rest but they’re going to work as well.

"It was an important win, it was a big game for us. I know we’re only a third of the way through the season but you don’t want to be in a situation where you’re looking over your shoulder all the time.

"I thought we earned the result on Saturday. We never gave Blackpool the chance to settle in the first half.

"I thought the start was excellent. The first 10 minutes was like a whirlwind, it took them aback.

"That’s when the game was won and we talked about that before the game. I’m pleased for the lads."

Redearn also believes that Sam Byram is getting back to his best form after the 21-year-old started both the midweek draw with Charlton and Saturday’s win.

"Sam Byram is a top, top young full-back. He’s going to get better," said Redfearn.

"Sometimes I think kids need that bit of protection and they need the right set of circumstances.

"I think we just took Sam Byram for granted a little bit.

"We just took him as this top class full-back that’s going to play well every week, that swept the Player of the Year awards two years ago.

"We need to look after him, we need to give him that little bit of space, that little bit of confidence to go and play. He got that on Saturday."

United’s second goal, the result of a swift counter-attack starting in defence, particularly caught the eye and Redfearn says the move is exactly how the team should be playing.

"If you look at the squad in its entirety, we’ve got footballers. There’s no point us lumping us up the pitch, we’ve got to pass it. We’ve got to play.

"We’ve got to give them that licence and give them that responsibility. The more they do it, take heart from it and the more they get confidence from it, the more they’ll pick results up.

"It was a fantastic move, starting from the edge of the box, some one-touch passing which shook Adryan free. He made a great decision to slip the ball to his right and it was a great finish."