Sheffield United: Boss hails return of "unique" Chris Basham in big play-off boost
Paul Heckingbottom has hailed the impact “unique” Chris Basham brings to Sheffield United – after revealing the influential defender’s typically-selfless reaction after making his return from injury.
Basham played his first game in two months on Monday evening in a 1-1 draw with Bristol City, after recovering from a knee ligament issue that some fans feared would end the 33-year-old’s season.
Basham’s remarkable fitness levels enabled him to get through the full 90 minutes, despite only recently returning to full training at United’s Shirecliffe base, and the biggest sign of rust came when he was beaten to the ball by City’s Antoine Semenyo in the build-up to their opening goal.
But a spectacular equaliser from Morgan Gibbs-White earned a point for United, who should have been out of sight by that point after creating a number of good chances in the first half alone.
But having the defender back ahead of a possible play-off campaign represents a significant, and rare, injury boost for the Blades. Heckingbottom agreed with the assertion that Basham brings something “unique” to United’s side, before revealing: “The first thing he said when he came off was that he was disappointed with the goal.
“Nine times out of 10, he defends that differently but I thought he had a good game.
“If you count the number of training days he’s had with us - which was very few - to do 90 was outstanding. I know he’s disappointed with the goal but I’m really pleased to have him back and the team are pleased to have him back too.
“He’s an important member of our squad.”