Chris Wilder confirms how long Sheffield United will be without injured Patrick Bamford for – it’s not good news | OneFootball

The Blades boss has confirmed Patrick Bamford could be out for a few weeks.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has confirmed Patrick Bamford could be out for as long as three weeks after the frontman picked up a knock in training.

The ex-Leeds United forward was absent from their 3-1 victory over Oxford United last night, with the Blades managing to overcome the obstacle of being without one of their most in-form players.

Wilder's men overcame a scare after falling behind to Myles Peart-Harris’ opener, with Sydie Peck levelling just before the break, while second half strikes from Andre Brooks and Chiedozie Ogbene put the game beyond doubt in the Steel City.

While the Yorkshire outfit continued to get the goals to flow at the top end of the pitch, the Blades have really benefited by the addition of Bamford, who has added a presence up top and a regular source of goals, netting six times in 13 games, but concerns were raised after the 32-year-old has been out of the last two matchday squads.

It is a blow for Sheffield United to lose Bamford for any period of time, but the result against the U’s does offer some respite at least, lifting the club seven points away from the bottom three, on 39 points.

But after the joy of a victory, Wilder did offer some disappointment at how long Bamford is expected to be out for.

Chris Wilder confirms Patrick Bamford could be out for two or three weeks

As reported by the BBC, Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has confirmed Patrick Bamford could be out between two to three weeks after picking up a knock in training.

Bamford hadn’t been included in the Blades’ last two matchday squads against Millwall and Oxford United, with Wilder explaining the reason for his absence.

Wilder said: "He took a knock in training which was unfortunate. It was unlucky that he did that, but we train as we play - which is competitive - and the knock put him out for tonight's game.

"We lost Pat yesterday - he might be [out for] a couple or three weeks - which was a big blow to us because we can go a little bit more direct, which we'd like to have done.

"There wasn't much room out there but the boys never got frustrated. The maturity of the display and the patience was really pleasing.

"I thought it was a pretty comfortable evening apart from the first 15-20 minutes."

Sheffield United will look to stand strong without Patrick Bamford

While Sheffield United will undoubtedly be weaker without Patrick Bamford in their ranks, they still have a plethora of forward options to call upon in the games to come.

The Blades started with Tom Cannon leading the line against the U’s, while Tyrese Campbell and Danny Ings were options to call upon from the bench, so it seems the club will be able to see out this small period of absence without any trouble.

One positive area to last night’s performance is that the goals coming from different areas of the pitch, and the Blades will need different players to constantly chip in with strikes if they are to continue rising up the table and have one eye on a late play-off charge.

A mouthwatering game in the Championship approaches when Sheffield United host Middlesbrough next Monday evening, with that a big indication of whether the Blades have any promotion credentials.