More injury concern for Sheffield United over key man as pressure intensifies on his manager

Sheffield United are sweating over the fitness of key man George Baldock after he limped off during Greece's Euro 2024 play-off final in Georgia yesterday. The right-back has only recently made his return from a long absence, making his first start of the year at Bournemouth before the international break.

But the sight of him receiving treatment will have sparked concern for United boss Chris Wilder ahead of this weekend's Premier League return to action at home to Fulham. Baldock appeared to be receiving attention to his calf area before making way, watching from the sidelines as his country's hopes of reaching this summer's European Championships were dashed by a cruel penalty shootout defeat in Tbilisi.

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That could spell the end of the road for Gus Poyet as Greece boss, with the former Chelsea midfielder linked with the Republic of Ireland job - where he could work with Baldock's United teammate, John Egan if he gets the nod to replace Stephen Kenny. Poyet's contract with Greece officially ends on Sunday and speaking after the penalty defeat he said: “Five more days! Now is not the time to talk about it, it's the time to analyse what happened tonight.

"For me it was a privilege to be in this team but I don't want to say anything about the future. It was a privilege to be here. How they treated me, how much they supported me within the team. Now we have to calm down, rest and get ready for the next day.

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"There is a lot of frustration. We have had no luck in the last two years, not even in the playoff draw. My players did everything they could. In two matches we did not concede a goal, and somehow we missed out on the Euros. The players did what we asked."

Defeat will have been a crushing blow for Baldock, so close to experiencing a major tournament on the international stage, and he will now hope that his injury is not serious enough to rule him out of any of United's remaining 10 games of the season. The right-back is already facing an uncertain future, with his contract at Bramall Lane set to expire in the summer as things stand, while Anel Ahmedhodzic also limped off with cramp on Bosnia and Herzegovina duty over this international break.