What Chris Wilder said about George Baldock's Sheffield United future after latest injury blow pre-Liverpool

Chris Wilder has admitted Sheffield United have "a lot of thinking and talking to do" regarding George Baldock's Blades future after the Greek international played potentially his final game in a United shirt. The 31-year-old damaged a calf on international duty recently and Wilder has been told he will miss the next six weeks.

With seven weeks or so left of the campaign that would appear to be the end of Baldock's season and the right-back's contract is set to expire this summer, as things stand. The player is thought to be settled in Sheffield but is likely to have options elsewhere, with The Star revealing recently that his name has previously featured on transfer wishlists of some of the biggest clubs in Greece after his international breakthrough.

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Wilder has made no secret of his desire to improve United's fitness levels and it has been a season of fitness struggle for a number of the club's key men, including Baldock, Oli McBurnie and John Egan. Speaking ahead of Thursday night's trip to Liverpool, Wilder said: "Six weeks we've been told regarding George's calf injury. He's a player who's had a few issues since I came back in and over the period.

"It's a difficult one because of how highly we think about George from a personality point of view, his characteristics, as a culture carrier and an all-round good player. So for him to get injured on international duty is a difficult one for us to take as well. It's disappointing news for both George and ourselves."

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Asked if Baldock would be a player Wilder hoped to keep at Bramall Lane next season, the manager admitted: "Yeah, he's one of the players that we've got a lot of thinking and talking to do and he'll have options as well with him being out of contract.

"A part of it will looking at his situation from a club point of view, and a part of it will be looking at it from George's point of view. What's his best move? He's a player we've really enjoyed working with in our time here, and hopefully we'll have that opportunity to work with him again."