Sheffield United: Rhys Norrington-Davies and Wales face an anxious World Cup wait
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The 23-year-old, who was expected to be named in the Wales squad which is preparing to travel to the Middle East, left the pitch on a stretcher after pulling up during the opening stages of a match which saw the visitors’ fail to arrest their disappointing form since the international break.
Admitting that Norrington-Davies was “very upset” in the dressing room afterwards - “And you all know why” - Heckingbottom refused to go into detail about the seriousness of the damage he suffered.
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Hide AdBut with Robert Page, Heckingbottom’s counterpart at the FAW, expected to unveil his selections shortly, the odds on Norrington-Davies featuring among them appear to be slim.
“Let’s not jump the gun, let’s wait and see what happens,” Heckingbottom told The Star, as United’s medical department prepare to assess the player before liaising with their counterparts in Cardiff. “It’s a hamstring but we don’t know the extent of it yet.”
Asked if the timing of the set-back meant Norrington-Davies must now be handled “mentally as well as physically”, Heckingbottom replied: “It’s honestly too early to go into detail. He was very upset afterwards and you all know why that is. It’s obvious. But we’ll have to see exactly what the damage is before we say more. I understand why you’re asking. But until we know more, that’s all I can really and honestly tell you.”
Norrington-Davies’ departure marked the start of a frustrating evening for United in Warwickshire, as substitute Martyn Waghorn’s late winner for City means they enter Saturday’s match against Norwich City fourth in the table. Three points above second-place before the recent pause in the domestic fixture schedule, Heckingbottom’s men are now two behind new leaders Queens Park Rangers after losing three and drawing two of their last five outings.
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Heckingbottom, who was already missing eight senior performers through injury and suspension before Norrington-Davies’ set-back, admitted he was disappointed with the mistakes which led to United conceding the late penalty which settled the contest; Waghorn converting from the spot after Chris Basham had fouled Viktor Gyokeres. Oliver Norwood and Oli McBurnie had earlier both struck the woodwork for United, before the former Derby County striker lifted Mark Robins’ men off the foot of the division.
“Listen, we were strong without the ball and you can see the improvement in Coventry,” Heckingbottom said. “We knew it was going to be a tight, tough game. We’ve made certain errors, though, that we don’t usually make and clearly we didn’t want to do that.”
“We weren’t happy with the things that took place before the penalty, the things which allowed that decision to be taken. And it was a penalty.”
“It was a slow start but I thought we were doing well, and defending well, until that happened,” he added. “It’s small things, those tiny things, that make a big difference as we know.”