Sheffield United left-back Enda Stevens hasn't reported any issues after making his comeback in the League Cup defeat to Southampton on Tuesday evening. 

Slavisa Jokanovic has been forced to go without Stevens in his opening months at Bramall Lane, as the left-back recovers from a hernia operation he underwent in the summer.

However, Tuesday evening saw Stevens return to the Sheffield United starting XI and get an unplanned 90 minutes under his belt. In addition to a solid performance, Stevens opened the scoring in a 2-2 draw, with the Blades eventually losing the tie on penalties.

Ahead of Saturday's clash with Derby County, Stevens has reported no new issues to the club's medical staff.

Jokanovic revealed to the Sheffield Star: “Enda Stevens hasn’t reported any issues. We know he can play 90 minutes. We don’t want to take a risk with him. We had plans. I advised him about those.

“We couldn’t follow them, though. He was tired. Without any problems from before though, which is good news.” The 31-year-old will be assessed in the coming days and then a decision will be made whether he's fit enough to back up last night's return with an appearance against Derby on Saturday.

 

 

The clash with Derby on Bramall Lane at Saturday will see Jokanovic's side looking to continue an impressive run of form in the league.

Since the September international break, they've collected seven points from three games and scored 11 goals.

The Verdict 

This is good news.

Stevens' lay-off has been a long one and his return always ran the risk of complications.

So, to learn that he's fine is a major boost.

Of course, Saturday might come too soon for him to back it up, so a place on the bench might make more sense.

Building up the left-back's fitness slowly will probably be the order of the day for Jokanovic, even if it is tempting to get such an important player in half-fit.

Thoughts? Let us know!