Sheffield United: Anxiety begins over international stars' fitness ahead of seismic promotion push

The Blades boss has instructed those players he has granted leave during the upcoming international break to “switch off” and, as close as his bond is with his squad, he hopes he doesn’t hear from any of them.

The ridiculous pile-up of games has taken a physical toll, as United’s remarkable injury record shows, but has required a remarkable amount of mental and psychological commitment, too. To push through the pain barrier. In some cases, to stick a hand up and volunteer to play when not fully fit. In football speak, to ‘go again’.

But the United manager will be forgiven for keeping more than one eye on certain games throughout the break, even if he does manage some time away from football world. Namely those international ones which will see some members of his squad jet around the world to represent their country. Some in important games. Some rather less so.

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Far be it from me to tell the likes of Conor Hourihane, Sander Berge and John Egan that any international game for their country is unimportant. All three are fiercely patriotic and ordinarily, I am a huge advocate of players going away with their countries during the break – even considering the obvious risks of injuries and fatigue.

But this is no ordinary situation and Heckingbottom, like most Blades fans, will surely be urgently and checking his phone for news, or an absence of it, on the fitness of the six senior players who will be representing their countries in the next fortnight.

Rhys Norrington-Davies and Adam Davies are on Wales duty for their huge play-off against Austria, while Morgan Gibbs-White will be hoping to further England U21s’ push for the Euros against Andorra and Albania.

But would Berge have been better suited with a fortnight of rest, following his recent and well-managed return from injury that has seen him explode into life in front of goal?

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Will the Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny learn much more about Hourihane and Egan as they go up against Belgium and then Lithuania?

The answers, from a United perspective, are obvious, and it was interesting to hear a former Blades player recently suggest that, in his day, players would simply be banned from travelling amid such a perilous injury crisis. Sorry, son, but you’re our player and we need you.

The world, and the game, has moved on, of course. But United simply can’t afford any more fitness issues if they are to continue their remarkable push for promotion.

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Without wishing to be over-dramatic, United getting back into the Premier League this season is seismic, in terms of the future of this football club, and there will be a hell of a lot of anxiety amongst coaching staff between now and next Thursday morning.

That is when the Blades’ international stars – plus young guns including Daniel Jebbison and Kacper Lopata – return to United’s Shirecliffe training base. Hopefully, for so many reasons, in one piece.

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