Daniel Jebbison can be Sheffield United's 'difference-maker' after Billy Sharp's set-back

With Sharp set to miss Wednesday’s crunch game against Middlesbrough after damaging an ankle during last weekend’s victory over Swansea City, Jebbison’s return from suspension has proven timely given the pressure injuries are placing upon United’s attack.

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Revealing Sharp has been fitted with a protective boot to avoid exacerbating the issue he sustained towards the end of the meeting with Russell Martin’s side - “There’s nothing showing up on x-ray but there is a lot of swelling, so something has obviously happened” - Heckingbottom hopes Jebbison can quickly recapture the form he was producing before being sent-off against Wrexham in the FA Cup.

“He was showing that he’d learnt how to impose himself on games,” Heckingbottom told The Star, claiming the teenager’s attributes should “make him a handful” for even the most organised of defences. “He’s got qualities and strengths that not many professional footballers have got. Everyone has got different strengths and weaknesses and he was really using his strengths.”

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Aged 19 and standing six feet three inches tall, Jebbison had scored twice in four outings before his red card at the Racecourse Ground. With Sharp “a major doubt”, Will Osula recovering from a fractured jaw and Oli McBurnie being coaxed back to full fitness, Jebbison is certain to be handed an immediate recall to United’s squad. Heckingbottom’s men are second in the Championship table and 10 points above Michael Carrick’s men, who are preparing for their assignment at Bramall Lane in third.

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