Sheffield United’s Oliver Arblaster return timescale as Gus Hamer fitness situation clarified ahead of Portsmouth test
Sheffield United’s Oliver Arblaster return timescale as Gus Hamer fitness situation clarified ahead of Portsmouth test
Gus Hamer is fit enough to start Sheffield United’s two remaining games this week if needed, manager Chris Wilder has revealed, after making his long-awaited return from injury in Sunday’s Steel City derby win. Hamer had missed a big chunk of games between the two most recent international breaks with a knee ligament injury.
He was only fit enough to make the bench at Hillsborough and made a cameo appearance on the field in the dying minutes of a 3-0 victory which sealed a third successive derby win for Wilder’s men.
Having him back available is a huge boost as United look to build on the momentum of Sunday and begin a long-overdue climb up the Championship table, with clashes against Portsmouth and Leicester City rounding off a week that they hope will be a memorable one.
Asked about Hamer’s fitness, Wilder said: “Yeah, he's okay. He's okay if we wanted to start him in the next two games, we can do. But he'll play a part, he'll come on the pitch. He didn't really need to come on the pitch on Sunday because I think tactically we really snuffed out their threats.
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“Their threats were really [Manchester United loanee Harry] Amass, he's decent and offered an overload on the wide. Andre [Brooks], out of possession, was really good. Harrison Burrows came on and gave us that balance off the left late on, and Callum O’Hare moved over to the right.
“His energy is there for everybody to see, with the distance he covers. And then Gus came on and just slotted in there for five or ten minutes. So, I’m delighted to get Gus back and he's a huge part of what we're trying to achieve.”
Another big part is Oliver Arblaster, who is back in training after more than a year out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained last November in the first Steel City derby of last season.
He was not fit enough to take a place in the squad at Hillsborough and when asked if the youngster would come straight back into the first-team fold or build up his minutes in the U21s, Wilder said: “No, he needs to play.
“I think the way you have to look at it is that you finish a season in early May. You have five weeks off and then your pre-season is all about getting your minutes in. And players will play half an hour, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, maybe 75 minutes and then two 90 minutes. Well, he's gone over a year now without playing any minutes. So we'll try and drip feed him in.”