Sheffield United hail the return of a player with the power to transform their season ahead of crucial Premier League clash at West Bromwich Albion

Mousset, who scored five times during an explosive spell at the beginning last term, is expected to make his first competitive appearance since July when Wilder’s squad travels to West Bromwich Albion tonight - a match they hope will prove the catalyst for a dramatic upturn in fortunes following a run of nine matches without a win.

Although the manager is convinced United’s recent results do not reflect their quality of their performances this term, telling journalists yesterday they have “been in every game we’ve played so far” barring “the final 20 minutes of our trip to Chelsea”, he conceded an analysis of displays against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and West Ham has revealed the absence of a “game changer” in his team; a vacancy coaching staff suspect Mousset, given his pace and sometimes eccentric approach, can fill.

“They just have that ability,” Wilder told The Star, when asked to provide his definition of the label he has attached to the Frenchman. “There’s hod carriers, there’s water carriers and then there’s painters isn’t there. I’m not so sure we have a lot of Picassos, so we’re looking for those big moments and that’s when Lys comes alive.

“If you look at his displays for us last season, he did that and was a big player for us in terms of assists and goals. For him to miss out, that hurt us.”

United have arguably lacked someone capable of changing the course of a fixture by producing a piece of individual off-the-cuff brilliance since casting Mark Duffy aside after being promoted from the Championship nearly two years ago. Although Mousset struggled for form and fitness after the country emerged from its first spell in lockdown earlier this year, the former AFC Bournemouth marksman helped lay the foundations for United’s ninth placed finish last term.

Speaking ahead of the meeting with West Brom, who have also yet to win since competition resumed in September, Wilder said: “It was difficult for Lys, back then. He was stuck in his house and listen, although that wasn’t the worst position in the world to be in, it was hard for some of the foreign lads.

“But he came back, had a really good pre-season and I was looking forward to him being a part of things going forward.”

“If you ask anyone here what they think of Lys, they’ll all tell you they love him to bits,” Wilder added, confirming Mousset’s presence, together with John Fleck’s return to fitness, has raised the mood behind the scenes. “He frustrates us all at times, with some of the things he does. But we know what he brings when he’s fit and firing and he’s a threat we’d much rather have.”

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