Chris Wilder rules key man out this weekend as Sheffield United welcome back midfielder to training | OneFootball

Sheffield United travel all the way down to the South Coast on Saturday afternoon to face a winless Portsmouth, while the Blades are looking to extend their 100% unbeaten run during the early stages of the new Championship season.

The Blades dominated Derby County last weekend, but a combination of poor decisions in front of goal and a good performance from the Rams’ shot-stopper kept the scoreline to just 1-0.

United were forced into a change for that game as Sydie Peck stepped into midfield to replace the injured Oliver Arblaster, and Chris Wilder has spoken about the young midfielder’s chances of playing this weekend.

Chris Wilder provides injury update on key Sheffield United man

Speaking to SUTV, Wilder answered a question regarding Arblaster’s availability, “No. We’ll miss him. It’s an ongoing situation [with his ankle]. It’s what the game’s all about. So we’ll have to deal with it and I thought we dealt with that admirably last Saturday against Derby.” The Blades chief added he has no idea on the timescale.

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 30: Tom Davies and Rhian Brewster of Sheffield United applaud the fans at full-time following the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sheffield United at London Stadium on September 30, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)

Blades welcome back Jack Robinson and Tom Davies back to training

On a more positive front, United have welcomed back both Jack Robinson and Tom Davies to training this week. The two Liverpool-born experienced campaigners will be a welcomed boost to the squad, but they may be some way off competing just yet.

“They’ve both been introduced back into training so we’re delighted with both of those boys. They’ve got a huge part to play for us this season,” Wilder acknowledged. “Everyone knows about Jack and his influence around the place and what he does. And Tom Davies, we’ve seen nowhere near his best that he can produce. We’ll be delighted when we get them back fully integrated into first team training.”

He expanded on the former Everton midfielder’s injury and fitness situation, “Tom’s going to have two or three weeks back training and a mini pre-season. I think everyone’s got to understand as well when players go away for the summer they’re usually pretty fit and in good condition and they come back and they need four or five weeks in pre-season. I think especially for Tom, missing all pre-season, not necessarily for Jack, I think we’re looking at after the next international break for Tom. Those two coming back will be a huge boost.”

One thing Sheffield United have this season compared to other past seasons is strength in depth, and Wilder was very vocal about that over the course of the summer.

Referencing the quality of depth he has at his disposal, Wilder mentioned: “I’ve talked a lot about the strength of the squad and it being a tight group”, and he referred to it being hard for Jack Robinson to get back into the side with how well Harry Souttar has been performing.