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Blades line up Leroy as No 1 target if Beattie is lured away
DARIUS Henderson warned his Sheffield United teammates there can be no room for sentiment if fellow striker James Beattie is sold during the January transfer window.
United, who climbed to fourth in the Championship table when Henderson's third goal of the season put Norwich to the sword, will turn to Reading's Leroy Lita if the former England international completes a return to the Premier League this week.
Stoke City entered the race for Beattie's signature when they tabled a 2.5 million bid before Saturday's match against Glenn Roeder's side.
Although Bramall Lane's board of directors deemed that offer unacceptable, it has cast a shadow of doubt over the player's long-term future in South Yorkshire with Blackburn Rovers also believed to be monitoring the situation.
JAMES SHIELD" Do pounds mean more than promotion?
Kevin Blackwell, United's manager, acknowledged Beattie, who has scored 34 goals in just 65 appearance since, will dominate the agenda ahead of tomorrow's rearranged FA Cup third-round tie at Leyton Orient.
But Henderson said: "At any club people come and go."
Henderson, making his first start following suspension, displayed the "mental toughness" Blackwell insisted is required to challenge the division's top two by reporting for duty despite spending the night before the game in London after his young son was admitted to hospital with a chest infection.
Describing reports Beattie had failed a Stoke medical as 'hogwash,' Blackwell raised the possibility Beattie could feature at Brisbane Road if he recovers from the virus that United officials claim was the reason behind his absence at the weekend.
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"Football, especially at this time, is that fluid I couldn't tell you what will happen in the next 10 minutes," he said.
Matthew Spring made his debut for Charlton against Nottingham Forest after his Blades loan was cut short.
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
