Sheffield United's options to solve right-back crisis after Hamza Choudhury blow as Matt Doherty absence explained
Sheffield United must find a solution to their right-back crisis ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bristol City, with Hamza Choudhury suspended after being sent off at Portsmouth last night
The frustration of Hamza Choudhury’s red card at Portsmouth last night will still sting but Sheffield United’s coaching staff must now plot the best way to replace him for Saturday’s trip to Bristol City. Choudhury has been filling in at right-back in Femi Seriki’s injury absence.
Seriki is closing in on a return but was not expected to take any part in United’s double-header of long away trips, which takes them to Ashton Gate at the weekend after their midweek South Coast clash.
Choudhury will miss the Robins game through suspension, with Wilder left baffled by ref Oliver Langford’s decision to send him off for two bookable offences.
The other right-back option would normally be former Wolves man Matt Doherty, but he has not travelled with United for this double-header and United must look elsewhere to plug the gap.
United initially went to a back three after the break, with Tahith Chong used as an auxiliary wing-back, but he didn’t do enough to prevent the lively Ryan Kavuma-McQueen from getting past him for Adrian Segecic’s goal.
“He's had to have an injection in his knee,” Wilder said of Doherty. “He's just had a bit of an issue. So that's why he's not travelled.
“The skip [Japhet Tanganga] can play right-back. We can go to a three. There are certain other options that we can do.
“But we're not expecting [Doherty] to be ready for the weekend. So we've got to find a way. Might have to make some changes because obviously there's a lot of effort that went into playing with 10 men for a long time.
“So we might have to freshen it up. But I thought there was a team that fought, a team that gave it a go. A team that was smart, out of possession and brave and wanted to try and create and cause them problems with 10 men.
“So we have to respond and react to a disappointing result. I'm not unbelievably certain that it was an unbelievably, really disappointing night for us. We showed the togetherness that we will need through the whole of the season.”