Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford were missing from Sheffield United’s win over Preston North End on Tuesday night

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has admitted that Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips were close to playing against Preston North End on Tuesday night.

Bamford was substituted instantly after scoring the equaliser against Derby County on October 24.

United’s top goal-scorer had taken a hit to the shoulder earlier on in the game and was seen to be in serious discomfort just moments after he’d put the ball in the back of the net.

The 35-year-old has missed out on both match day squads for the Blades to face Wrexham and Preston.

Phillips sustained an injury to his ankle against Wrexham on Friday but soldiered on after receiving treatment to play the full 90 minutes.

The midfielder was unavailable to train on the grass on Sunday, Wilder revealed in his pre-match press conference on Monday.

After his side beat Preston 3-2 at Deepdale, Wilder hinted we could see the pair back in action against Charlton this weekend.

He said: “Both pretty close, but I think especially with Pat, it's a contact sport, so we have to be careful. It's a shoulder injury, and Kalvin, as I said, rolled his ankle, so no major risks taking place tonight. Medium to long term, we'll be fine, and hopefully we can roll him out on Saturday.”

Jairo Riedewald stepped in to replace Phillips in the starting 11 on Tuesday night, while the Blades gaffer opted for Ben Brereton Diaz and Tom Cannon to lead the line.

“It's back to Sheffield, recovery day tomorrow [Wednesday] and Thursday, down the road on Friday, and hopefully we can finish this little batch of games off with a positive result.

“Yes, we're really hopeful that both of them can be involved and delight because they're big players. We've gone from coming off the back of Bristol City with absolutely no injuries at all and then all of a sudden, in a heartbeat, we've lost a few players.

“Availability is key, so getting those players back, especially the experienced ones and two really good players, is going to give us a big boost for the weekend,” he added.