Sheffield United: Chris Wilder sweating over £25k-a-week Blades star ahead of Southampton | OneFootball

Tahith Chong suffered an injury blow ahead of the Blades' first win of the season at Oxford United

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has been left sweating over the availability of summer recruit Tahith Chong ahead of Tuesday night's clash with Southampton at Bramall Lane.

The Blades' new winger was set to start against Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium before suffering injury misfortune in the warm-up, subsequently being replaced by Djibril Soumare in Wilder's lineup ahead of what was the most crucial of results for his side.

After going winless in seven straight encounters in the Championship and EFL Cup to start the current campaign following May's heartbreaking defeat to Sunderland in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, those of a United persuasion could finally celebrate a victory for the first time since defeating Bristol City in the semi-final second leg on May 12th.

Callum O'Hare's finish into the bottom corner on 65 minutes in front of the travelling supporters gave the Steel City side a much-needed, confidence-boosting success, as they held out to join the other 23 second tier sides in posting a first win of the season — albeit one that isn't quite enough to lift Wilder's men off the foot of the table just yet.

That could be achieved with another positive result against an out-of-form Saints side, although it remains to be seen whether the aforementioned Chong will have a part to play in proceedings.

Sheffield United left sweating on Tahith Chong availability ahead of Southampton clash at Bramall Lane

Chong, who is estimated to have a base salary of £25k-a-week at Bramall Lane, was one of many high-profile signings made by Wilder's successor and, ironically, predecessor, Ruben Selles in the latter stages of the summer transfer window, putting pen-to-paper on a four-year contract in S2 after joining from newly-relegated Luton Town of League One.

The ex-Manchester United man has previously established himself as a steady performer at Championship level and beyond for the Hatters and Birmingham City.

The Curaçao native wasn't a part of Matt Bloomfield's first six matchday squads across all competitions prior to his Bramall Lane switch, subsequently racking up his first personal minutes of the season in the 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough last month.

After also appearing from the substitutes' bench in Selles' last game in charge and Wilder's third homecoming against Ipswich Town and Charlton Athletic respectively, the 25-year-old was set to make a maiden start for his new employers against Oxford on Saturday afternoon.

However, those prospects were dealt a crushing blow in the warm-up through a knee issue, with Wilder admitting ahead of Tuesday night's clash with Will Still's side that his availability remains somewhat unknown at this moment in time.

“We'll wait and see,” the 57-year-old said via the Star.

“That was disappointing for Chongy. He was set to start, and he’d trained really well. The position that we were playing him, he's played before in the Premier League with Luton Town. And his knee just locked up during the warm-up. So, that wasn't an ideal situation," he added.

“It was definitely not an ideal situation for him, but for me and for Soumare as well. I thought he adapted well to the challenge, quickly getting on board with what he needed to do. It was important.

Sheffield United will hope to gain further confidence against out-of-form Southampton

The Blades' start to the campaign has been well-documented at length, with their cash-strapped bitter rivals, Sheffield Wednesday, still two points in front of them at present following a mini-unbeaten period at Hillsborough.

Wilder's comments showcase that Chong was set to feature on the left flank despite predominantly featuring through the middle behind the main focal point, highlighting how key his versatility could be throughout the remaining 39 encounters when fit.

It remains to be seen if his first start does come against the Saints in midweek, although Wilder could welcome Tom Davies and ex-Southampton striker, Danny Ings, back into contention after their own injury setbacks.

After getting off the mark in terms of points and wins on Saturday, United will hope to gain further confidence against a side winless in the league since the opening day, although Still's men did earn a credible point against early-season leaders, Middlesbrough, at St Mary's.