Sheffield United: Oli McBurnie set to undergo surgery later this season
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Explaining his decision not to start the centre-forward, who had scored five times in seven outings before serving a one match ban, Heckingbottom conceded a combination of Billy Sharp’s form during training and McBurnie’s predicament had influenced his selections ahead of a chaotic game which spawned four red cards and six goals.
“Bill has been training great and we’re playing Oli with a hernia,” said Heckingbottom. “He’s been down in London during the week, getting some injections on it. We’ll book him in for surgery during the World Cup break, when that competition starts. That was a call from me about Oli’s lack of training and how Bill has been training which, like I say, has been excellent.”
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"It was something we felt we had to do and it made sense given the situation," he continued, stressing that McBurnie will be available for Wednesday's trip to Coventry City.
Earlier, United appeared set to record a routine win when James McAtee and Iliman Ndiaye both pounced during the first half. But a brace from Jerry Yates and Kenny Dougall’s effort saw Blackpool seize the advantage before Marvin Ekpiteta and Dominic Thompson both saw red during the closing stages. Having seen Rhian Brewster miss a penalty, Oliver Norwood prevented United from slipping to a third straight defeat when he fired home in added time. Wes Foderingham and Shayne Lavery were dismissed following a skirmish after the final whistle, with Heckingbottom and his Blackpool counterpart Michael Appleton later confirming they could appeal referee David Webb’s decision.
Heckingbottom also admitted that Daniel Jebbison faces a period on the sidelines after hurting his foot during training on the eve of the fixture.
“Jebbo planted his foot taking a shot and has damaged a ligament,” he added. "It's a similar injury to the one Ozzy (Ben Osborn) got at West Brom earlier this season, when someone just caught him. He (Jebbison) will probably be out for a couple of weeks, it shouldn't be much more than that."