Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder makes admission over Femi Seriki after injury return
Chris Wilder admits Femi Seriki is still not ready to play 90 minutes
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has said that it will take some time before fans will see Femi Seriki back at his best.
United put on a fantastic display under the lights at Bramall Lane, which saw them cruise past Wrexham in a 1-0 scoreline that flattered the visitors.
Fans were hopeful that Seriki would be named in the starting lineup after making his return from a knee injury against Derby County the weekend prior in a game that saw the Blades drop two points against a struggling side.
The Blades boss assessed the young wing-back’s fitness and opted for Hamza Choudhury to start against Wrexham instead, as he had been since he signed for the club at the end of August.
Wilder insisted that the 24-year-old needs minutes under his belt before Unitedites can see him back at his best.
He said: “He's come on the pitch; he's been out for eight, nine weeks as well. He's been on the pitch a couple of times. He's not back to his unbelievably free-flowing best, but he'll get there without a shadow of a doubt.”
Seriki has played under an hour of football since his return, with the Blades boss insisting they have to ‘look after’ the wing-back.
“There's nothing untoward that we think is a major issue with Femi,” Wilder added. “The issue you've always got is reserve team football, first team football and the amount of games that you have.
“Getting in match minutes, getting him out there. You can't replicate that on a Friday night live on Sky against a really competitive team as well. Femi will be fine.
“He's still not ready to start. We're looking at that. We'll most probably look for him to start after the international break.
“But managing his minutes, getting him up to speed, and him getting into his free-flowing best, no doubt he'll get there. He's still a young player, and there's loads to offer,” he added.
United travel to Preston North End on Tuesday night as they look to win back to back matches for the first time this season against the side that sit bottom of the Championship.