How do Sheffield United solve their right-back issue in wake of Femi Seriki injury blow?
Sheffield United are short of natural options at right-back, with injuries, fitness concerns and potential January recruits all adding to Chris Wilder's headache.
Femi Seriki's season-ending injury has left Sheffield United with another right-back headache. So, what options does Blades boss Chris Wilder have?
Wilder’s first-choice right-back had just made his return to the side after a two-month period on the sidelines due to an initial knee injury.
The 23-year-old had made four impressive cameos, but the United gaffer admitted that he wouldn’t be ready to start until after the international break.
However, six minutes after being brought on against Charlton Athletic last weekend, Seriki suffered a patella tendon rupture, which has cut his season short before it ever really got going.
United have only one other registered ‘natural’ right-back in Matt Doherty, who can’t seem to get fit or stay fit. His last Blades appearance was back in September during the abysmal defeat to Fleetwood Town in the EFL Cup.
Hamza Choudhury was brought in after Seriki suffered his initial injury in August, and has started every Championship game since, apart from the match he was forced to miss through suspension after his controversial sending-off against Portsmouth.
Considering United’s financial position, they will be hoping that the Bangladesh international can stay fit and continue his starting role as a right-back. Even though the former Championship winner is traditionally a central midfielder, that is the one position on the pitch that Wilder isn’t short of options in, so he’ll be starting on the right side of defence for the foreseeable future, provided he stays fit.
However, if the Blades are handed unfortunate circumstances and Choudhury gets injured, the only other available option here is captain Japhet Tanganga, who steps in to cover the role. Although Tanganga has played spells at right-back at Spurs, he’s seldomly appeared there for United or former club Millwall.
The biggest aspect of shifting Tanganga to a full-back is the loss of his successful partnership with Liam Kitching. The pair have shown to create a strong understanding between each other, not to mention Kitching’s replacement in the heart of defence would be Mark McGuinness - and the discrepancy in quality is clear.
If Choudhury becomes unavailable and Doherty fails to recover in time, Tanganga moving to right-back could have a significant knock-on effect. What could have been a back four of Burrows, Kitching, Tanganga and Seriki would instead become Burrows, Kitching, McGuinness and Tanganga – a significant drop in quality across the defence.
At that point, Wilder’s biggest hope would be Jamie Shackleton returns, and he’s another who hasn’t played any football since September as he’s still recovering from a thigh injury.
If everything previously mentioned fails, it would be then that United would be forced to look into the transfer market. CEO Stephen Bettis outlined in his October interview that one loan spot remained, and their hand may be forced on this occasion.
The free agent market doesn’t offer up any solutions and in any case, bringing in a player at this stage who won’t have featured since last season, at best, is not feasible.
Former Blade Kyle Walker has made it no secret that he wishes to finish his playing career at Bramall Lane. However, the six-time Premier League winner is reportedly earning around £75,000 per week on his current Burnley deal, which expires in summer 2027. The question for Walker is whether he is willing to take a significant pay-cut to see his fairytale ending come to reality.
If United were to pursue it, it may take a player sale to fund any move, essentially robbing Peter to pay Paul.
On the loan front, another option could be Coventry’s Kaine Kesler-Hayden, who is out of Frank Lampard’s favour, having only played three minutes so far this season. The Aston Villa academy graduate played some part in the Sky Blues’ title-winning 2025/26 campaign, making 22 appearances and providing two assists.
With United facing uncertainty at right-back, the 24-year-old could seek a loan move for the second half of the season in search of regular first-team football.
It’s unclear what the situation is with Seriki’s current contract, which is set to expire this summer. The Star understands that he was offered a new deal prior to the injury he suffered against Charlton, but the right-back had not yet put pen to paper.