Sheffield United defender “touch and go” for Sheffield Wednesday clash after Blades departure
Blades defender “touch and go” for Sheffield Wednesday clash after parent club return
Alfie Gilchrist is “touch and go” for Sheffield United’s derby clash with Sheffield Wednesday next month after returning to parent club Chelsea for treatment on his ankle issue. The defender picked up the issue recently in training and was seen at the Shirecliffe training ground wearing a protective boot.
With Harry Clarke a doubt for this weekend’s trip to QPR Gilchrist’s absence is especially timely, with the 21-year-old not featuring for the Blades in more than a month after Rob Holding’s deadline-day arrival took United’s tally of loan players to six - one more than the EFL permit in a matchday squad.
United’s options at right-back have been boosted a little after Femi Seriki and Jamie Shackleton returned to fitness but Gilchrist will not return until next month at the earliest. “He’s doing his rehab at Chelsea,” said boss Chris Wilder, “so he's maybe a couple of weeks away from joining back in and being available.
“He innocuously turned his ankle in training and they're the injuries you can't avoid because you want to train with intensity and tempo to set yourselves up for the weekend. As everyone knows, Alfie doesn't hold back but he'll be okay.
“It'll be a couple of weeks, he'll be touch and go for the Sheffield Wednesday game and there's a break after that so he'll be back for Coventry the week after.”
Wilder said that both Seriki and Shackleton will be involved in the group that travels to Loftus Road today as the Blades look to bounce back from Monday night’s defeat to title rivals Leeds United, which saw Clarke withdrawn at half-time after a tough first-half against the lively Manor Solomon.
“We're assessing him,” said Wilder of the Ipswich Town loanee. “He got a whack to the bottom of his foot, so he was struggling to sprint. In an athletic, physical game, that isn't any good. When you can't sprint against someone like Solomon and then they're bringing [Wilfried] Gnonto on, you're not in a great position.”