Sheffield United: Boss makes a confession about selections ahead of two huge Championship games

After seeing United’s nine match unbeaten run come to an end when they were beaten by Millwall two days ago, some supporters took to social media to question why the likes of Sander Berge, Morgan Gibbs-White and John Fleck had been omitted from the starting eleven following their part in the battling win over Blackburn Rovers 72 hours earlier.

Although Heckingbottom accepted that chopping and changing his starting eleven is far from ideal, he insisted the demands of United’s fixture schedule, coupled with the number of players being coaxed back to full fitness following injury, means adopting a different approach would be a huge risk.

“We have to consider that a lot of the lads who are playing are coming back from issues,” he told The Star. “The workload we have had, something that we’ve just got on with, means it would be a real risk to just tell them ‘Go out there and play’ every single time.

“They would do it if you asked them. Of course they would, because that’s what they want to do - play football. I respect them for that.

“But the thing is, we have to look at the bigger picture and take that into consideration as well.”

MORE: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/hecky-goes-in-hard-but-calls-for-perspective-3588107

The picture Heckingbottom was referring to not only includes Friday’s meeting with Forest and next week’s match against Middlesbrough but also the fact three of United’s most influential performers - David McGoldrick, Jayden Bogle and Rhian Brewster - are set to miss the remainder of the campaign due to fitness issues. A fourth, Chris Basham, is battling to save his season despite being told he does not require surgery to correct medial ligament damage.

Stuart McCall, United’s assistant manager, recently attempted to calm fears Basham faces a long spell on the sidelines. But sources elsewhere in the division continue to insist the issue remains more serious than officials at Bramall Lane are prepared to admit.

Either way, Basham is set to miss the clashes with Forest and Middlesbrough - ranked ninth and eighth respectively - as he undergoes treatment. United slipped to seventh when the lost 1-0 at The Den.

MORE: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/a-rare-positive-for-united-and-predictable-match-winner-for-millwall-3587953

Heckingbottom’s planning for those assignments has been complicated by the fact that Berge, Gibbs-White and defender Ben Davies have only just recovered from fitness issues of their own. If one of those was the break down again, because their bodies are being placed under too much stress, then it would leave United desperately short of experienced options for a series of fixtures they can ill-afford to lose in the race for top six qualification. Both Forest and Middlesbrough, now managed by former United chief Chris Wilder, strengthened their rosters during the winter transfer window while United embarked on a re-profiling exercise instead after deciding their squad had become too bloated.

“We’re building some of these lads up again, getting them in the right positions again, so they can just get out there and play,” Heckingbottom said. “It won’t be long before they are.

“We don’t just do it (rotate) for the sake of it. We also do it because it’s necessary.”