Sheffield United: Another key player in danger of missing the derby at Barnsley

Sheffield United’s preparations for tomorrow’s visit to Barnsley have been overshadowed by the news that one of the leading contenders to replace Morgan Gibbs-White, who will miss the game through suspension, is also in danger of being sidelined.
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With George Baldock returning to fitness following injury, Slavisa Jokanovic had been contemplating the idea of moving Jayden Bogle upfield to cover for the 21-year-old’s absence.

But Bogle’s involvement at Oakwell is now in doubt after Jokanovic revealed he missed two days of training because of an ankle complaint.

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“Jayden, it’s his ankle,” the United manager said. “He stepped wrong. He has now been on the training pitch the last two days. We will check on him. We will see if he needs more rest or if he can be available.”

Midfielders Sander Berge and Luke Freeman are already ruled-out of this weekend’s fixture, together with attacker Oliver Burke. Freeman and Burke could resume work at United’s training complex shortly but Jokanovic told journalists he was “unable” to provide an accurate time frame for Berge’s rehabilitation. The Norway international has not featured since withdrawing during the warm-up ahead of last month’s win over Hull City.

Speaking immediately after the international break, Jokanovic suggested Berge would resume work within “10 days”. After being assessed by medical staff on Thursday morning, the midfielder was still “10 days away” from rejoining the squad according to Jokanovic’s calculations.

“Freezy (Freeman), he can start work with the team next week, we believe,” Jokanovic said. “Burke, without making some more activity with the physiotherapist, I believe he is soon too.”