Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder makes a confession about transfers as deadline looms

Despite initially stating that he had been granted permission to recruit two players on loan during the mid-season window, which closes at 11pm tomorrow night, Wilder conceded United are now unlikely to do any business despite seeing their squad ravaged by injuries in recent weeks.

Speaking following his team’s defeat by Manchester City, a result which saw them begin their preparations for Tuesday’s crucial encounter against fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion 10 points adrift of safety, Wilder said: “I’m not so sure anything will happen at our football club between now and Monday night. So we’ll work with the players we’ve got. We’ll try to give ourselves an opportunity to make it as uncomfortable as possible for those above us with the players that are here now.”

Despite striking a diplomatic tone, United’s lack of activity will be a major source of disappointment for Wilder who had presented a series of what he described as “recommendations” to United’s board of directors before Christmas. They included Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard, who has since joined West Ham, and Ben Davies of Preston North End while Sampdoria’s Omar Colley and Reading’s John Swift are also known to have attracted admiring glances from United’s coaching staff.

Although United were able to name a full complement of substitutes against City, who recorded their 12th straight win in all competitions courtesy of Gabriel Jesus’ early strike, Wilder has struggled to fill their bench in recent weeks. Indeed, speaking before Wednesday’s victory over Lingard’s parent club, he revealed United had nine senior players unavailable for selection. Oli McBurnie’s recovery from a shoulder complaint has provided United’s coaching staff with a little more room for manoeuvre. But influential performers such as Jack O’Connell and Sander Berge remain long-term absentees, while Enda Stevens is also likely to miss their forthcoming matches against West Brom and Chelsea.

With Sam Allardyce, Wilder’s counterpart at The Hawthorns, attempting to push through deals through Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Christian Benteke of Crystal Palace ahead of his team’s trip to South Yorkshire, United have seemingly taken a decision to curtail their spending at a time when those around them in the table are doing the opposite in an effort to retain Premier League status.

Although Lingard is known to have been Wilder’s leading target before completing his temporary move to east London, United’s scouting department are known to have identified a number of potential targets following the summer window, which saw Rhian Brewster become the most expensive player in Bramall Lane’s history after completing a £23.5m move from Liverpool.

Indeed, as The Star first revealed, Wilder, his assistant Alan Knill and head of recruitment Paul Mitchell had categorised the players they were chasing into different grades, following the 53-year-old’s admission that anyone who arrived must be capable of going straight into United’s starting eleven.

“Whoever comes in,” Wilder said over the festive period, “Whoever we get, they have to be an improvement on what we’ve already got.”

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