Chieo Ogbene fitness latest ahead of Sheffield Wednesday clash as Chris Wilder makes Sheffield United form admission
Sheffield United man touch-and-go for Sheffield Wednesday derby as Chris Wilder makes Bramall Lane form admission
Sheffield United will give winger Cheio Ogbene as much time as possible to prove his fitness for Sunday’s Steel City derby against Wednesday at Hillsborough, as the Republic of Ireland international looks to kickstart his Bramall Lane career. The Ipswich Town loanee caused the Blades an injury scare when he limped off on international duty over the break.
The hamstring issue was a downside to an otherwise positive break for the Irish as they booked their place in the World Cup play-offs with victories over Portugal and Hungary, with Ogbene impressing in both games.
He has not yet managed to consistently replicate that form for the Blades since joining in the summer but if fit he would offer boss Chris Wilder another positive option going forward as he plots a Steel City derby victory that could get their season truly up and running.
“Yeah, he’s alright,” Wilder said of the 28-year-old. “He’s come back, he’s obviously delighted in terms of what happened [with the play-offs]. He was out there today, we’ll give him as much time as possible to be fit and to be available.
“Fingers crossed it was a precaution, he just felt something there. But he’s been out, jogging around today so we’ll give him all of today, see how he reacts tomorrow and then give him up to Sunday morning to make himself available. If he’s not, then we miss a player and we have to replace that player.”
Any significant period out of action would have been a big blow for the player, who missed a big chunk of football with Town due to a bad Achilles’ injury and was loaned to the Blades as he looked to recover some match sharpness.
Chieo Ogbene fitness latest ahead of Sheffield Wednesday clash as Chris Wilder makes Sheffield United form admission
“That wasn’t a great situation for him,” Wilder admitted, “and he’s desperate to do well as well. He knows he’s not hit top form for us yet, but knowing the boy and how eager he is and how much he wants to do well for us, drives us forward that we’ll get the top performances out of him.”
Wilder will take charge of his seventh Steel City derby on Sunday, with his opposite number Henrik Pedersen in the home dugout against the Blades for the first time after succeeding Danny Rohl in the summer.
Asked what a derby clash is like to be involved in, Wilder said: “They always have a bit of everything, don't they? Really hard to predict. They’re pretty much usually tight affairs decided by a bit of magic or a mistake. Not usually one-way affairs.
“So we're expecting their best. We've watched them as they've watched us. There has been work gone into analysing them as much as they've analysed us. We know they've got threats. We know that they'll come with a renewed optimism and belief off the back of what's happened over the last month [with owner Dejphon Chansiri being forced out].
“Especially at the ground, with the environment, the atmosphere, the emotion that's always attached to these games. You have to be fired up. I think historically Carlos [Carvalhal, the former Owls boss] said something about it just being another game.
“I know Henrik won’t be approaching it that way, and I've certainly not approached the last six that way either.”