'Very surprised' - Sheffield United legend reacts to derby injury blow
There was a major injury blow for Sheffield United during the first-half of Sunday’s derby clash with Sheffield Wednesday.
Sheffield United legend Billy Sharp has expressed his concern over a serious looking injury picked up by Blades captain Oliver Arblaster during Sunday’s derby clash.
The lifelong Blades supporter have become integral to Chris Wilder’s plans during his second spell in charge at Bramall Lane and spoke of his pride at leading his side out in an eagerly anticipated meeting with Sheffield Wednesday. He told Sky Sports: “It’s something as a kid I’ve dreamt about playing in, coming to the last four (as a fan) and the atmosphere around the city, it’s going to be special out there. I don’t think we need to (let his team-mates know how big the game is) because the lads live in the city, in Sheffield, and from both sides, all of the players will know how big of a game this is. Hopefully, we will get the job done.”
However, a dream day for Arblaster took a turn for the worse on the half-hour mark after the Blades skipper pulled up sharply and seemed to suffer a serious injury. After receiving lengthy treatment, Arblaster remained in the game but made his way to the treatment room when the half-time whistle was blown and failed to appear for the second-half after he was replaced by Sydie Peck.
Speaking during the interval as a pundit on Sky Sports live coverage of the derby, Blades legend Sharp expressed his surprise over Arblaster’s continued involvement in the game prior to his half-time substitution.
Sharp told Sky Sports: “It didn’t look great and there was obviously nobody around him. He stamps his foot down, we saw an angle from behind and you can see his knee go in. You can see straightaway that he is in pain and I’m surprised he’s carried on and I’d be very surprised if he comes back out. He’s desperate to stay out there, he’s done brilliantly to stay out there because there’s nobody around him and he was in a lot of pain. He’s not really moving like he normally does and the few times he’s had the ball, he’s helped it on rather than letting it run across his body. They’re things he would usually do.”