Sheffield United boss admits "real concern" over defender's future as he takes huge comeback step

Chris Wilder has admitted there was some concern over Rhys Norrington-Davies' career after the Sheffield United defender made a big step in his comeback from the bad hamstring injury that has sidelined him for well over a year. The Welsh international has been out for 14 months after suffering the issue at Coventry last season.

The injury not only scuppered his World Cup dream but ruled him out of the run-in for United's promotion season, and delayed his chance of making a Premier League debut. The 24-year-old played 45 minutes for the U21s against Hull City last night, hitting the bar with a deflected shot before making way at the break as planned as his recovery is carefully managed.

"Hopefully we'll try and get more minutes in him," said Wilder. "But the condition he's doing on the training ground, he's hitting top speed. It's just match practice he needs and he might have to get that in the first team. The medical team and the boy himself deserve an awful lot of credit because it was a pretty serious injury and one there was real concern for Rhys' future.

"There's been a few boys [injured] and people should never be critical. It's the worst situation when you're injured and not avaiilable. They don't deliberately do it, the likes of Rhys and Rhian Brewster, and I don't think people realise how tough it is being out injured.

"They're professional footballers and financially they get really well paid but their love is playing football and they're getting restricted through injury, not of their own doing. If they were reckless in terms of what they did and not very professional, sometimes these things happen. But they're top pros and deserve a slice of luck. Hopefully they and a few other boys who've suffered injuries get that when they do come back."