Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has revealed that whilst he will be unable to call upon Tommy Doyle and Oliver McBurnie in Monday's clash with Watford, captain Billy Sharp has now returned to full training and thus could be in contention to feature at Vicarage Road.
Doyle and McBurnie were both back on the grass yesterday after stepping up their recovery from their respective injury issues.
McBurnie missed the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign due to a problem with his foot.
Doyle, who was signed on a season-long loan deal from Manchester City earlier this month, suffered a thigh injury in the club's pre-season training camp in Portugal.
This particular duo will be forced to watch on from the sidelines alongside Jayden Bogle who has not featured for the Blades since February.
As for Sharp, the forward was unable to represent the Blades in the play-offs in May as a result of a calf injury.
In the absence of the 36-year-old, United suffered a defeat at the semi-final stage of this competition to Nottingham Forest.
Ahead of the club's upcoming clash with Watford, Heckingbottom opted to share an update on the aforementioned players.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as cited by Yorkshire Live), Heckingbottom said: "Jayden [is] long term and progressing well.
"Tommy back on the grass today [Thursday] with Macca, he won't be available but Billy full training with the squad this week and is back in and Oli Mac did part of the session today but won't be available."
The Verdict
Although Doyle, McBurnie and Bogle will not be available for selection on Monday, this update is relatively encouraging as they are all making progress in terms of their fitness.
Whilst Heckingbottom will need to be certain that Sharp is ready to make his return to Championship action before turning to him for inspiration, there is no reason why the forward cannot make a positive impact in the upcoming campaign.
Despite being in the twilight of his career, Sharp still managed to produce a host of impressive performances last season as he scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 39 league appearances.
Providing that the Blades are able to maintain their consistency over the coming months, they could potentially build the foundations needed to launch a push for a top-two finish in the Championship.