But, having seen a proposed exhibition in the Syrian capital cancelled before last Monday's fixture with Barnsley, Kevin Blackwell's side hope to convert their detractors by remaining in South Yorkshire instead.

Journeying to the Middle East would have been a worthwhile exercise in brand-building.

However, basing themselves at Shirecliffe during the build-up to this weekend's pivotal visit of Peterborough has provided medical staff with a window of opportunity as they grapple with a debilitating injury crisis which has forced United to put their promotion ambitions temporarily on hold.

"The most important thing we can do at the moment is make sure we get as many people back fit as possible," Blackwell said.

"We want to try and use our time wisely and to good effect.

"We've struggled of late and everybody knows it.

"But there's a chance that we could welcome back some important players after the break"

The United manager is, of course, referring to the likes of Nick Montgomery, Richard Cresswell and Gary Naysmith who have all missed sizeable chunks - and, in the latter's case, all - of the season.

Being able to call upon the services of proven and experienced performers should aid the club's quest to climb the rankings and position themselves close to the top six by Christmas.

It will be a huge task - United trail Leicester City who occupy the fourth and final play-off spot by nine points with seven clubs standing between themselves and Nigel Pearson's side.

Losing any more ground, even at this stage, could deal their chances a fatal blow.

But with chairman Kevin McCabe sanctioning the release of "significant" funds during the forthcoming transfer window, Blackwell will hope to be in contention by the time a fresh batch of new arrivals breeze through the doors of the training ground.

Talks are known to be underway with at least two financial houses aimed at increasing his war-chest without the need to surrender shares.

As well as tending to the more critical cases among Bramall Lane's walking-wounded, United have also used the past week to coax Derek Geary, Jamie Ward and Jonathan Fortune another step closer towards full fitness.

The trio all returned to action at Oakwell following lengthy spells in the treatment room, and a series of tailor-made programmes have been devised to try to decrease their chances of picking up the type of niggling muscle strains which so often plague long-term absentees.

In the event that Andrew Davies shrugs off the knock that he received during the 2-2 draw with Barnsley, Blackwell is likely to name a relatively unchanged line-up against the division's bottom club, although Naysmith and Williamson appear to have thrust themselves into contention after completing 90 minutes of the totesport.com Central Division fixture against Derby County.