Sheffield United: The next step the boss wants Lys Mousset to take

Having scored twice during Sunday’s win over Barnsley, taking his tally for the season to three in only four outings, the Frenchman’s name should have been the first on Slavisa Jokanovic’s team sheet for the meeting with Neil Critchley’s side.

Instead, as his well-documented fitness issues threaten to curtail that progress, Mousset’s preparations for the match are focused on trying to ensure he is simply available for selection rather than identifying chinks in the visitors’ defensive armoury after Jokanovic was forced to withdraw him at Oakwell because of a muscle complaint.

Although that has inevitably prompted calls for Mousset to be eased back into action after overcoming the hamstring problem which forced him to miss 12 games earlier this tern, Jokanovic would prefer to give the 25-year-old responsibility for helping to improve his own durability - amid concerns that adopting a different approach would not encourage the player to adopt a more professional approach away from the training ground.

It explains why Jokanovic, whose predecessor Chris Wilder was often frustrated by aspects of Mousset’s lifestyle, urged him to “collaborate” better with United’s coaching staff following his two goal salvo.

Although the Serb is expected to make one change to the starting eleven which faces Blackpool, with Morgan Gibbs-White available again following suspension, he would prefer Mousset to again spearhead United’s attack if he passed fit.