Sheffield United: Blades set to reveal the extent of Lys Mousset injury

Mousset limped-off the pitch early in the second-half of the meeting with Lee Bowyer’s team, having signalled to the bench he was unable to continue following an incident inside the penalty area.

The sight of the Frenchman hobbling down the tunnel in obvious discomfort compounded a disappointing start to the new campaign for United, who were playing their first match since appointing Jokanovic following their relegation from the Premier League.

It was also the latest in a series of set-backs to Mousset’s hopes of realising his potential, following a number of fitness related problems and off-the-pitch issues.

Asked about the nature and the extent of the striker’s problem, Jokanovic told The Star: “Lys Mousset is going to be assessed. I don’t know exactly. It is still too early to say. But we will see and then take things from there. We will do what is necessary.”

Mousset pulled-up after stretching to meet a cross from his team mate Oliver Burke as United searched in vain for an equaliser following Maxime Colin’s header midway through the opening period. Selected after scoring three times in the hosts’ two pre-season outings, Mousset had made his way into position at the far post but appeared to lose his footing when City’s Matija Sarkic, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, palmed the ball away to safety.

After hearing Jokanovic’s predecessor Chris Wilder complain about what he perceived as Mousset’s lack of professionalism before parting company with the club in March, there was an audible sigh of frustration from the crowd when the 25-year-old informed Jokanovic he needed to be substituted.

But there are suspicions behind the scenes at Bramall Lane that Mousset is blameless in this instance, with many of his colleagues visibly short of conditioning and match-sharpness after United’s summer warm-up programme was badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I repeat, my players did not play more than 65 minutes in pre-season,” Jokanovic said. “ Other clubs are in similar positions so I am not complaining. But I am confident my team will grow up and get better and sharper.”