Chris Wilder opens up on Sheffield United's Wes Foderingham stance ahead of potential transfer exit

Chris Wilder could not offer any guarantees that Wes Foderingham will still be at Sheffield United after tomorrow nights transfer deadline, after an agreement that the goalkeeper would not be second-choice at Bramall Lane. United last week brought in Ivo Grbic from Atletico Madrid, with the Croatian immediately taking his place as Wilder's first-choice goalkeeper.

Wilder was keen to secure a goalkeeper for the long term with Foderingham, plus fellow stoppers Adam Davies and Jordan Amissah, out of contract at the end of the current campaign. Former Rangers man Foderingham was offered a new deal at Bramall Lane earlier in the season, which he declined, and is now seemingly on his way out - either in this window or the summer.

Speaking earlier this week, Wilder revealed that Foderingham had asked to leave the club on loan. With Grbic's arrival, one of United's four goalkeepers will conceivably have to be left out of United's 25-man squad for the second half of the Premier League season, although the situation is complicated by Davies' recent injury.

Asked if United's contract offer to Foderingham remained on the table, Wilder admitted: "That's been parked now, I should imagine. I don't know what his conversations with the club were, in absolute detail; just that a contract was offered and it was rejected. That was a conversation between the club and Wes.

"I talked about us needing to go out and get a goalkeeper who was our own, which was important. I talked to Wes on Friday. I think we came to the agreement that he wouldn't be a No.2, either here at this level or in the Championship. So I think that will just work its way out in time and we'll see what happens before the deadline. Wes will do what he needs to do before the end of the season."

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Now 33, Foderingham was a key figure in United's promotion to the Premier League last season and began the current campaign in similar form, leading to United tabling an offer in a bid to keep him at Bramall Lane. But the figures did not match what Foderingham was seeking and his contractual situation, and a subsequent loss of form, led to Wilder looking elsewhere following his return to the Blades in early December.

"At this stage of his career I'm sure he won't want to play second fiddle to anybody, and he'll feel as if he's done," Wilder said. "But we made a decision, I made a decision, and that's what the game is all about. I'm just being transparent. The club's situation with him in terms of his contract, there's been a discussion and we've come in and now we've made that decision.

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"I've made the decision, with the club's backing, to bring a No.1 in. From there, I don't know really where it goes but Wes is still contracted to us until the end of the season, as is Adam Davies as well. So we expect a really high level of professionalism going forward from any player that's in the team or out of the team at this particular moment. And that'll always be my stance on it."