Uncertainty surrounds when Jack O'Connell will return to action for Sheffield United

Having initially predicted O’Connell would miss the remainder of the campaign after undergoing knee surgery, Wilder appeared to revise that prognosis before last weekend’s defeat by West Ham when he indicated the 26-year-old could begin “kicking a ball again” in February.

But, as United began preparing for this weekend’s visit to West Bromwich Albion, Wilder acknowledged coaching staff are still unable to set a timeframe for O’Connell’s recovery following consultations with medics responsible for overseeing his rehabilitation programme.

“With Jack, we’ll only know when he gets the ball at his feet again really,” Wilder said. “He can do all of the things he’s doing at the moment, all of the exercises, but the real test will come when he starts playing football, or working with the ball, again. That’s when we’ll find out.”

United plan to sign a direct replacement for O’Connell during the January transfer window, after failing to draft-in cover earlier this term. Wilder hoped to attract either Fulham’s Terence Kongolo, previously of Huddersfield Town, or Preston North End’s Ben Davies while Marcos Rojo, currently out of favour at Manchester United, is known to boast admirers among Bramall Lane’s board of directors.

“We’ve written Jack out of our plans until well into the New Year, maybe February,” Wilder said. “We’ll just have to see how he comes along.”

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