Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom says striker Rhian Brewster is the most likely of the club's long term injury absentees to be available for the start of pre-season.

After a disappointing debut campaign at Bramall Lane in the Premier League last season, things had started to look up for Brewster in the Championship.

The 22-year-old has scored three goals in 14 league games for the Blades at the start of this campaign, and was beginning to look more of a threat when injury struck.

Brewster has not featured for Sheffield United since he picked up a serious hamstring injury back at the end of January.

Meanwhile, fellow forwards David McGoldrick and Oli McBurnie, as well as defensive duo Jayden Bogle and Jack O'Connell, have all also been unavailable to Sheffield United for long periods of time.

Now it seems that of those players, it is Brewster who looks to have the best chance of getting a full pre-season under his belt ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Providing an update on those Sheffield United players who have been out for extended periods, Heckingbottom was quoted by Yorkshire Live as saying: "Probably Rhian has the best chance. He has been on the grass for the first time.

"Others are touch and go and it will be a case of seeing how they go, but Rhian is the furthest down the line."

Without those players, Sheffield United go into the final day of the Championship season against champions Fulham, knowing victory will guarantee them a place in the play-offs.

The Verdict

For Brewster at least, this does feel like something of a positive update.

It will have been hugely frustrating for the striker to have suffered such a significant setback, at a time when he looked as though he was gradually starting to find his feet at Bramall Lane.

As a result, you feel the 22-year-old will be desperate to get back out on the pitch again, to try and build some of that momentum he was gaining prior to this injury.

Indeed, that could still be as a Premier League player if the Blades end the season well, which would be some achievement for the club given the injuries they have to deal with this season, and not just to Brewster.