Sheffield United can't use dire injury situation as an excuse, insists skipper Billy Sharp

The Blades could be without as many as 11 senior outfield players when they take on Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday evening, with John Fleck, Oli McBurnie and Ben Davies the latest doubts.

McBurnie suffered a dead leg after coming off the bench in the Blades’ 4-1 defeat at Coventry at the weekend and will be given every opportunity to prove his fitness ahead of the Blackpool clash.

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If he isn’t declared available, that will leave Sharp as the only senior striker in United’s squad – which was boosted by a number of teenagers on the bench at Coventry, with the Blades’ ongoing injury crisis arguably the biggest threat to their hopes of making the Championship play-offs this season.

But Sharp, who heard his manager Paul Heckingbottom ponder aloud whether the state of United’s training pitch is contributing to their injury woes after their weekend defeat, insisted: “We can’t let injuries be an excuse. We might have to modify training a bit to make sure we don’t get any more.

“The manager mentioned the training pitch and we’ve had that since I was here as a kid. We’ve lost big players and characters, but that’s what you have a squad for.

“I must admit I thought the squad was too big at times but this has proved why you need it. It’s about stepping up for the young lads when they get the chance. They need to make sure they’re ready to step up and contribute to the team.”

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At Coventry McBurnie, at 25, was the oldest outfield player on a bench which also contained 17-year-old Oli Arblaster, 18-year-old Daniel Jebbison and another teenager in wing-back Femi Seriki.

“The manager knows a lot of them and they must be champing at the bit,” Sharp, referencing Heckingbottom’s previous post as U23s boss, added.

“I think there’ll be the chances for them between now and the end of the season.”

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