Sheffield United hope to experience an international bounce when they play Yorkshire rivals Leeds

But with Paul Heckingbottom determined to stage-manage an orderly exit, after being placed in caretaker charge this month, both he and his assistant Jason Tindall still face an anxious seven days waiting to discover if United’s already injury depleted squad will be further weakened ahead of next month’s derby against Leeds.

With a dislocated toe ruling John Egan out of the Republic of Ireland’s upcoming games and Oliver Burke missing-out on a Scotland call-up after starting only five domestic fixtures since the turn of the year, the Steelphalt Academy will be busier than usual when training resumes later this week.

But with eight players called-up by their respective countries at either senior or under-21 level - six of whom are expected to be involved in some capacity at Elland Road - United can ill afford any more fitness issues, with Heckingbottom admitting before last weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea that “I need people back” in order to try and make any sort of impact following Chris Wilder’s departure nearly a fortnight ago.

Despite finding themselves at the bottom of the table and 14 points adrift of safety following a lamentable campaign, United still have a number of important challenges to overcome before returning to the Championship. The first, as Heckingbottom acknowledged following the 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, is salvaging some pride after losing 23 of their 29 outings in the top-flight so far this term. The second, despite ensuring they will not be going down with the lowest points total in the competition’s history, is avoiding the embarrassment of setting a new record for the earliest demotion. Huddersfield Town and Derby County, who were mathematically down after 32 matches, will be watching United’s upcoming results closely.

With that in mind, and to ensure Wilder’s permanent replacement does not inherit a disenchanted group of players completely devoid of confidence, Heckingbottom is hoping United reap all the potential benefits of the international break without experiencing any of the possible downsides.

“Obviously you want people to come back, in a good place and in a good shape,” he said. “You don’t want to lose people. I think it goes without saying that we can’t afford to lose anybody. But, at the same time, it’s a great opportunity for these lads to be in different surroundings, learn new things and represent their countries, which is the biggest honour.”

Although working with those who have remained in South Yorkshire is Heckingbottom’s priority, the performances of those summoned away could also impact upon his selections for the trip to West Yorkshire. If they return in good health, John Fleck, Enda Stevens, Aaron Ramsdale and Ethan Ampadu appear shoe-ins to start against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, with defence and midfield the two areas affected the most by what Wilder described as an “unprecedented” spate of injuries since the beginning of the season.

However, with attack the one area where United are spoilt for choice - perhaps a little too spoilt, with six strikers on the books rather than the usual four carried by top-flight sides - McBurnie knows impressing during Scotland’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers could not only help Steve Clarke’s men reach Qatar and press his claims for a major role at this summer’s European Championships, but also cement his place in Heckingbottom’s plans over the next few weeks. Particularly as attempting to unlock Rhian Brewster’s potential appears to have become something of a personal project for the 43-year-old, given his comments before returning from west London.

“It’s an opportunity to experience different environments, to get away and hear new voices,” Heckingbottom said. “That’s never a bad thing, because it can open you up to fresh ideas and give you a different take on things which always improves you.”

“Here, we just need as many people to be available to us as possible because that isn’t the case at the moment,” he added. “We need to get these boys back on the pitch, although some of them are going to take a little time.”

With a hamstring complaint meaning Sander Berge’s involvement with Norway will be limited to a watching brief, Stevens, Ampadu and Rhys Norrington-Davies - on loan at Stoke City - are scheduled to be the first United players in action this week. Stevens could win his latest cap when the Republic of Ireland meet Serbia tomorrow, while Ampadu and Norrington-Davies could both face Belgium before Saturday’s friendly against Mexico and then Tuesday’s qualifier against the Czech Republic. Ireland also face Luxembourg over the weekend before their friendly against Qatar.

Scotland could hand game time to Fleck and McBurnie when Austria travel to Glasgow on Thursday, ahead of Wednesday’s clash with the Faroe Islands. Sandwiched in between is a journey to Israel on Sunday, while Brewster and Ramsdale are set for prominent roles when England under-21’s host Switzerland on Thursday before away games against Portugal and Croatia on Sunday and Wednesday respectively.

“The players who are going away, they have an opportunity to do something really special for their countries and themselves,” Heckingbottom said. “Obviously, we want them all to come back in a good place because it’s been tough for everyone of late. It goes without saying, from our own perspective, we want that to happen but also that they come back healthy too.”

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