Chris Wilder confirms "disappointing" Sheffield United news - player out for the season | OneFootball

Chris Wilder will be without Norrington-Davies for the rest of the season.

Chris Wilder has confirmed that Rhys Norrington-Davies will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season after an injury he sustained playing for the Under-21s against Birmingham City.

This revelation arose in the head coach's pre-match press conference for the fixture against Bristol City on Tuesday evening.

The 25-year-old has made just 14 appearances in the league this season, and while he isn’t a regular starter for United, he remains a valuable utility player in defence, especially during a promotion push.

Currently, the Blades are level on points with Yorkshire rivals Leeds United but are closely trailed by Burnley, who are just two points behind.

With only 10 games remaining, an enthralling run-in awaits, and Wilder will no doubt be frustrated to be without yet another defender.

Chris Wilder confirms Norrington-Davies injury status

As mentioned earlier, the Welsh international is set to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery for an injury he sustained in a youth match.

Speaking about the news, the head coach said: "He's had an operation on his groin area, a really unfortunate injury - a block tackle and the force of the challenge and the force of the injury sees him out for the rest of the season.

"It's disappointing for him. It's not going to be affecting his next season but he'll just miss out the end of this season. It's disappointing for him because he's due a bit of luck and hopefully he'll get himself right and get that bit of luck he deserves."

Unfortunately, it is a reoccurring tale for the left-back, having made just 34 league appearances over the past three campaigns. As Wilder says he is "due a bit of luck", but it appears he will have to wait until next year for that to arrive.

Chris Wilder's defensive headache

Aside from Norrington-Davies, it has been a season plagued by defensive injuries for Wilder, with the head coach losing Harry Souttar for the long term, and now Alfie Gilchrist and Harry Clarke for a number of weeks.

The absence of Gilchrist and Clarke has forced Wilder to deploy the versatile Hamza Choudhury in an unfamiliar role, and, to his credit, he has performed admirably.

However, with crucial games against the Robins and Sheffield Wednesday on the horizon, the Bangladesh international will be facing some of the league's most formidable wingers in Anis Mehmeti and Djedi Gassama.