Sheffield United: Billy Sharp return date predicted as striker undergoes another scan
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Speaking after watching his team draw with second-placed AFC Bournemouth, manager Paul Heckingbottom confirmed the 36-year-old is set to miss games against Reading and Bristol City over the Bank Holiday weekend.
But Sharp, who suffered a hamstring injury during United’s final outing before last month’s international break, is making progress in his battle for fitness and should be available for selection when Cardiff City visit South Yorkshire on April 23rd.
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Hide Ad“He is hopeful of coming back after Easter,” Heckingbottom told The Star. “We went for a third opinion and a different scan in the end and that came back exactly as we thought it would. It basically revealed what we thought had happened.
“It’s all about getting Billy back now, making sure that he’s ready.”
Barring any set-backs or unforeseen complications, news of Sharp’s imminent return represents a major boost for United’s hopes of regaining Premier League status at the first attempt after being relegated last term. The striker has scored 15 goals since then, with exactly two thirds of those coming following Heckingbottom’s appointment in November.
Although the former under-23’s coach admitted his players were disappointed to see their meeting with Scott Parker’s side end in stalemate, the result ensured they began preparing for Friday’s clash with Paul Ince’s team ranked sixth in the Championship table.
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Hide Ad“We’d have loved to have had Billy available for this one,” said Heckingbottom, after seeing defender Filip Uremovic miss a clear cut chance deep into added time. “In fairness to Bill - and Filip - he (Sharp) wouldn’t have been in that position inside the box at the end.
“But when we get Billy back, it gives us so many more options. Not only on the pitch but also from the bench. It would mean we’ve got different people with different qualities, depending on what’s happening. That gives us a lot more room (for manoeuvre) with regards to what we can do.”
“I thought we did enough to win it,” Heckingbottom added, correctly challenging Parker’s claim that Bournemouth had controlled long spells of the contest. “We feel it’s two points dropped but, on the positive side, it’s another point cloer to where we want to be.”