Sheffield United receive some excellent news ahead of their Premier League opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers

The match, United’s first of the new Premier League season, is regarded as absolutely vital by Wilder - who cited his squad’s strong start last term as a driving force behind their eventual ninth placed finish.

Jack O’Connell failed to appear in any of United’s summer friendlies after being forced to self isolate as English football continues to fight Covid-19 - the respiratory disease which forced the fixture calendar to be suspended for three months in March. But after following a personally tailored fitness programme at home, the defender is set to be available for selection with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side visit South Yorkshire on Monday.

“Jack should be okay, I don’t see any reason why not,” Wilder said, after confirming the reason behind O’Connell’s absence. “I’ve seen nothing to tell me otherwise.”

O’Connell was not the only influential figure at Bramall Lane to miss large parts of United’s warm-up schedule, with John Egan, David McGoldrick, Enda Stevens, John Fleck, Sander Berge and Aaron Ramsdale all called up for international duty. Oliver Burke, who has now completed his move to United from West Bromwich Albion, also spent last week at Scotland’s training camp near Edinburgh.

"Everyone seems to be okay, which is good news," Wilder said. "They're okay, from what we've been told."

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