Sheffield United's Polish youngster can force his way into Championship starting eleven, Slavisa Jokanovic insists

Lopata hopes to make the second senior appearance of his career when Derby County visit Bramall Lane in the Carabao Cup tomorrow, having excelled during the win over Carlisle in the previous round.

Although the Polish teenager made his presence felt in box boxes, going close to scoring himself before Rhian Brewster secured United’s progress, Jokanovic has failed to select him in any of the club’s three league games since.

But the Serb, who acknowledged he was impressed by the contribution Lopata and other members of United’s development programme made against the Cumbrians, said: “Kacper Lopata played a very good game, He was strong, he touched all of the balls in defence. He is one of the young players who we believe can play in this competition for us.

“We need to keep working with him. He can become a very good player, that is certain. Obviously there is work to do but yes, he is an option for us.”

Although Davies will prove difficult to dislodge after arriving from Liverpool, particularly as he can perform a variety of roles at the back, Lopata has also shown himself to be a flexible player after joining United last year. Recruited to perform in a back three - the system favoured by Jokanovic’s predecessor Chris Wilder - Lopata has also operated in a back four, as Jude Macdonald, his former manager at Whitehawk, told this newspaper.

That combined, with Jokanovic’s admission that the demands of the EFL fixture schedule means he will be forced to rotate his selections over the coming months, could lead to more opportunities for Lopata providing he continues to progress.

“Good players, they can play in all different ways and shapes, in a number of different positions,” Jokanovic, whose team face Luton Town on Saturday, explained. “We don’t want to change for the sake of it but the people who don’t start now, that doesn’t mean to say that they aren’t required because things get very busy.”