Sheffield United duo "struggling" with injury ahead of Burnley as Chris Wilder reiterates survival belief

Jack Robinson and Jayden Bogle are both “struggling” for fitness ahead of Sheffield United’s clash with relegation rivals Burnley this weekend, boss Chris Wilder has admitted. Robinson missed Saturday’s trip to Brentford at the weekend after damaging his ankle against Chelsea in the previous game while Bogle limped off against the Bees after suffering a similar injury.

While Wilder has been frustrated by United’s injury record with soft tissue and training ground injuries since returning to Bramall Lane in December there was an acknowledgement that not much could have been done to avoid either issue for Robinson or Bogle, who both suffered ankle ligament damage after falling. Bogle’s absence in particular will mean a defensive reshuffle, with either youngster Sam Curtis coming in for a Premier League debut or a shift to a back four with Mason Holgate at right-back two potential options for Wilder.

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“They're struggling for the weekend so that's a blow for us,” Wilder admitted. “We gain one and we lose one. That's a difficult situation to deal with. It's two influential people in the group, Jack from a leadership point of view and Jayden has been, definitely since I came back into the football club, one of our most outstanding players with the way he;s gone about his business. So it's disappointing.”

"Jadyen gets into a great position on Saturday and we just expected him to get up and jog back to the halfway line,” Wilder added. “Unfortunately he leaves the ground in a boot, same with Jack Robinson when he goes up for a header and lands awkwardly. These are the ones we can't really do anything about. We are frustrated but the most frustrating aspect is when we lose players to soft-tissue injuries and when we lose players in training, those are the ones that really do hurt. And it's something we have to get over next year.”

Poland, £400,000 'debts' - United team from play-off final v Burnley United can land a huge blow in their bid to pull off the greatest of great escapes this weekend against Vincent Kompany’s men, who travel to Bramall Lane a place and four points above them in the Premier League table. Asked if he still had the belief that United could take their survival bid to the wire, Wilder admitted: “That’s got to be our aim and that is the feel, genuinely. Around the group and the club and in the city as well.

“We want to take it to the wire. We approach every game as the most important, I'm not looking ahead to Old Trafford next midweek or next weekend at Newcastle. We are fully focused. The spirit comes off the back of managing over 1,000 games and I've seen when changing rooms are overconfident and down. We're in a good place.”