Why Jack Robinson didn't play for Sheffield United amid Wrexham AFC interest | OneFootball

The Blades boss has revealed why Jack Robinson started on the bench for their opening day defeat to Bristol City.

Sheffield United boss Ruben Selles revealed Jack Robinson started on the bench against Bristol City because he had missed their last two pre-season matches, amid summer interest from Wrexham for the 31-year-old.

The Blades suffered a shock hammering by the Robins at Bramall Lane, going down 4-1, with the Yorkshire outfit looking incredibly disjointed defensively, which allowed Bristol City to cut through them at will.

It will be a major shock for the Spaniard to contend with early on in his tenure, and he now faces the task of finding his best XI to make up for such a dismal start.

Meanwhile, as the summer transfer window enters its concluding period, Sheffield United have still been touted to sanction exits before the 1st September deadline.

Central defender Jack Robinson has recently been linked with a move away from the Steel City, with Championship new-boys Wrexham credited with an interest in securing his services, according to The Sun.

Robinson was unexpectedly placed on the substitutes' bench on the opening weekend too, raising further concerns as to what his future in red and white looks like.

Selles has now commented on the situation, outlining the reason behind his benching.

Ruben Selles reveals reason for Jack Robinson benching

As per the Yorkshire Post, Ruben Selles reflected on a rather humbling opening day defeat to Bristol City, revealing that Jack Robinson was placed on the substitutes' bench due to his inability to play any part in their last two pre-season friendlies.

Selles said: "It was not about an individual performance, it was us as a team.

"It would be too easy to point any fingers.

"Jack Robinson missed the last couple of preparation matches and Rhys has done a good job.

"Robbo just joined us in the last couple of training (sessions) and I decided to go with Rhys.”

Reflecting on the overall performance, Selles added: "Until Saturday at 5.29 we were talking about a good pre-season.

"The team was performing well and doing a lot of good things. Now when you go to the (league) matches you see a different thing.

"You need to understand the pressures in certain moments, the situations in certain moments in the game – when you are in a bad spell how do you not concede, when you are in a good spell, how do you put the ball in the net?

"With this group of players, in training it should not be difficult to adjust things."

Jack Robinson benching is a mistake not to be repeated by Ruben Selles

While Sheffield United fans will be relieved that Jack Robinson’s benching was nothing to do with his Blades future, it was a grave opening error by Ruben Selles.

Sheffield United’s defeat was mainly down to a lack of cohesion in the backline, with Sydie Peck being left badly exposed in midfield from those selections and centre-back Rhys Norrington-Davies putting in a shocking performance, leading to him being substituted after 57 minutes that was followed by cheers from his own supporters.

You can understand concerns from the Spaniard that he wasn’t fully fit, but Robinson possesses Championship experience in abundance and should have been one of the first names on the team sheet to offer guile and leadership to what turned out to be a rather rudderless defence.

Robinson should be making it back into the team at Swansea City next weekend, while their midweek League Cup fixture at Birmingham City could offer another opportunity to get minutes into his legs.