Sheffield United: The important job Max Lowe and other injured stars have been given ahead of Swansea
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Speaking ahead of the game against Russell Martin’s side, manager Paul Heckingbottom told The Star he has enlisted the defender and others unavailable for selection to compile information on the opposition and provide pointers for discussion during United’s team meetings.
The unusual approach, Heckingbottom explained, is not only designed to ensure the likes of Lowe remain emotionally invested in what is happening on the pitch but also highlight areas coaching staff might have missed.
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“We try and look after these lads psychologically as much as physically,” Heckingbottom said. “I want them to feel involved and so we often give them little tasks to do. One of those is looking at the sides we’re going to be facing and it’s interesting, really interesting, because very often they see the game through different glasses to us.
“I’m not going to lie, sometimes they can be a little bit safe in what they tell us because they might think we want to hear certain things. But, genuinely, we want to hear their thoughts because we can all learn something new. It’s really interesting, for us as a staff, to hear the things they pick up on and some good ideas have come out of doing this.”
Travelling to Wales on top of the Championship table, Heckingbottom’s decision to draw upon the knowledge of those under his command is clearly having the desired effect. Unbeaten in seven league outings, United are 18 places above their opponents who will be without Joel Latibeaudiere, Liam Cullen and Michael Obafemi.
Despite making a chequered start to the campaign, after spending last term at Nottingham Forest on loan, Lowe had been in superb form for United of late. However, his attempts to cement a starting role at Bramall Lane suffered a blow when he limped-out of the recent win over Hull City.
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Hide Ad“I’ve just been speaking with Max, having a word with him,” Heckingbottom said. “It’s today that he’s having another ultrasound. That will tell us exactly how the tendon is and what is going to be required for it to heal. It’s also when we’re going to know how long (out) he’s going to be looking at.”
“The thing I’m really conscious about with Max is how well he was doing just before this happened,” Heckingbottom continued. “He was performing so well, with loads more freedom and really playing to his strengths. Towards the back end of his rehab, we’ll be doing even more work on that with him.”
Despite admitting he is “frustrated” by the sight of Lowe, Ben Osborn, Jack Robinson, Adam Davies, Enda Stevens, Ismaila Coulibaly and Ciaran Clark all confined to the treatment room, Heckingbottom added: “I don’t want anyone to think I’m frustrated with them, because I’m not. I just want them to be back with us, having done everything properly, as quickly as possible because they’re all really good players.”