Chris Wilder's injury update ahead of Sheffield United's clash with Manchester City

Chris Wilder hopes to have some of his injured Sheffield United players back for this weekend's clash with Manchester City despite signalling his intention to "straight-bat" any questions about when his missing players will be fit to return to action.
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A number of first-team players, including Oli McBurnie, Enda Stevens and Ben Osborn, have been missing in recent weeks, with United unable to field a full complement of substitutes.

And, when asked today if he'll be able to name a full bench on Saturday, Wilder said: "We'll try. Some boys are having late fitness tests so we'll look at that.

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"It was disappointing to lose Enda and a couple of others pretty late on [on Wednesday against Manchester United], so we'll try to fill the bench and that's my decision who makes the bench in conjunction with the medical department.

"It's not always straightforward, we can't take a gamble because there's still 18 games to go. We have to look at that as well and come up with sensible decisions regarding who's available."

With Stevens and Osborn injured, and Max Lowe on the bench but only able to play about 10 minutes, Kean Bryan came into the side against Man Utd on Wednesday and scored United's opening goal in a remarkable victory at Old Trafford.

But Bryan was only fit enough to play less than an hour himself and was replaced, with right-back Jayden Bogle seeing out the game at left-back as United shocked the Premier League title-chasers.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer congratulates his Sheffield United counterpart Chris Wilder after the Blades' 2-1 win at Old Trafford.  (Photo by TIM KEETON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer congratulates his Sheffield United counterpart Chris Wilder after the Blades' 2-1 win at Old Trafford.  (Photo by TIM KEETON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer congratulates his Sheffield United counterpart Chris Wilder after the Blades' 2-1 win at Old Trafford. (Photo by TIM KEETON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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"Enda hopefully won't be out for a great amount of time, we're assessing that," Wilder added.

"I'm going to straight-bat it regarding all the injuries, I'm going to keep my cards close to my chest. But we're working hard with the players and they want to be back involved with the group."

Wilder's side return to Manchester just days after their victory over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men, courtesy of Oli Burke's winner after Harry Maguire had cancelled out Bryan's headed opener.

"I'm sure it'll give us a huge boost in belief and confidence," Wilder said.

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"But it can't be a one-off if we want to make it uncomfortable for the teams above."

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