Sheffield United: The process John Egan must go through in order to face Manchester United is revealed

Chris Wilder's admission that he will consult with doctors before naming his starting eleven for Sunday's meeting with Ole Gunnar Solskjær's side suggests the centre-half, who was injured on Republic of Ireland duty, could still be suffering the after-effects of a clash of heads he sustained during the first-half of Monday's Euro 2020 qualifier against Denmark. Egan, who was withdrawn during the interval of that match, is also thought to have been receiving treatment for a muscle complaint.

Confirming Phil Jagielka rather than Richard Stearman will step-in if the 27-year-old is ruled-out, Wilder said: "John is in with a chance. We're leaving it until the last minute and we've got to take medical advice on that. If John isn't available then we've got Phil who can slot in. When he came on against Burnley, I thought he was great."

Already without on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson - Premier League rules prohibit players from facing their parent clubs - United will be keen to avoid further disruption to a defence which has emerged as one of the most effective in the competition. An ever-present so far this term, Egan's presence has helped Wilder's squad keep three clean sheets in their last five outings.

Jagielka, who progressed through United's youth system before going on to represent Everton and England, returned to Bramall Lane during the close season and Wilder said: "The boys who aren't in are putting pressure, huge pressure, on the boys who are in there. But if John is available, he will play. If he misses out, Jags will play. The good thing is Phil's experience and he's got loads of it in the Premier League."

Revealing Egan was the only United player to suffer an injury on international duty, Wilder added: "All of the players have come back okay apart from that."