Sheffield United have been “rocked” by a serious injury that has been suffered by a young player on Under-21s duty, according to an update from manager Chris Wilder.
Sheffield United prepare for Derby clash
The Blades were widely expected to be among the leading candidates to earn promotion from the Championship to the Premier League this season, and they have started the campaign in strong form.
Granted, Wilder’s side may not be topping the pile up with the likes of West Brom and Sunderland at the moment, but they are sixth in the table and in the playoff positions, and it would be a surprise if that wasn’t the case further down the line as the months pass.
On Saturday, the Blades welcome Derby County to Bramall Lane, with Paul Warne’s team two places below them but level on points, highlighting the importance of who comes out on top this weekend.
United are generally fine on the injury front currently, giving Wilder a largely clean bill of health, but one upsetting update has now emerged regarding one player who could have a bright future in the game.
Wilder "rocked" by Sheffield United injury
In quotes provided by The Yorkshire Post, Wilder confirmed that Sheffield United youngster Sai Sachdev has suffered a serious injury in an Under-21s clash with Wolves that was abandoned due to the severity of it, admitting the club have been “rocked” by the news:
“I went up to see him yesterday. I had a talk with the young players and it’s rocked us a lot. The mood’s been pretty sombre about the place because we feel for him, he’s been involved with the first team this season, an (England youth) international.
“He got on the pitch at Norwich, a lovely lad from a great family and one of a number of promising players from the academy. So (I’m) deeply disappointed but he’s in good hands, he had an operation Thursday afternoon and I saw him yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, me and Brian English, the club doctor. Our doctors and staff have been absolutely outstanding.”
This is an almighty shame for Sachdev, who is such a talented player at United currently, having already made three appearances at senior level to date. Two of those have come in the Championship, and he has been capped a total of 10 times by England at youth team level. Thankfully for the 19-year-old right-back, he will have an excellent group of medics to help him through such a tough situation, and the hope is that he will be back on the pitch as soon as possible, managing to reach his potential.
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That being said, there is no rush for him to return to the fold, given his age, and it is vital that he takes as much time as possible to work his way back to full fitness, in order for such a serious injury not to affect him throughout his career.