Sheffield United duo receive the all clear to face Crystal Palace

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Having expressed concerns their unexpectedly heavy workloads in north London could prove problematic as the duo returned from injury, Sheffield United’s interim manager Paul Heckingbottom has confirmed they received the all-clear from medical staff following a training session this morning.

Berge’s appearance as a second-half substitute was his first senior outing since undergoing hamstring surgery in December while Basham had not played for over a month because of a muscle issue.

“Everyone has been back in this week,” Heckingbottom said. “Sander and Bashm they came through fine and, actually, they’ll probably benefit from it. The more minutes we can give them the better.

London, England, 2nd May 2021.Dejected Oliver Norwood and Chris Basham (R) of Sheffield Utd during the Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture credit should read: David Klein / Sportimage

“We might have been forced to give them more than we envisaged down there. But in the long run, they’ll have benefited from it.”

After suffering a 4-0 defeat at Spurs - their second heaviest loss of a campaign which has not only seen them part company with Chris Wilder but also surrender their Premier League status - United will look to bounce back when Roy Hodgson’s side visits South Yorkshire on Saturday.

Jack Robinson, signed to deputise for fellow injury victim Jack O’Connell, could also be involved having resumed work at the Steelphalt Academy towards the end of last month.

“There’s no fresh team news,” Heckingbottom said. “Everyone who we thought would be out there has been out there.”