Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has confirmed that George Baldock is fit to face Aston Villa later today, The Sheffield Star is reporting.

There were concerns over whether George Baldock would be available to play in today's clash with Aston Villa after he was substituted in last weekend's narrow loss against Preston North End.

The former Milton Keynes Dons defender missed five games last month with a calf injury and there were fears that he could be missing again for a while after he was withdrawn in the second half last week.

But Chris Wilder has now confirmed that substituting Baldock was merely a precaution as he was careful not to overuse him again.

With Kieron Freeman out injured for much of the season with a dislocated knee problem, Baldock has been the first choice right back in Wilder's system.

But the Blades are erring on the side of caution when it comes to the 24-year-old's playing time in order to prevent a long term injury.

Chris Wilder said:

“George is okay, we just took him off as a precaution.

"He’s not played much football recently and we couldn’t put too much pressure on him because we don’t want it to go again.

"That’s why we did what we did, we’ve got to be careful.

"What I don’t want, because of the situation we’ve got in that position, is to be losing him for a period of matches again.”

The Verdict

George Baldock is an attack-minded full back who suits Wilder's wing-back requirements very well.

In the absence of Freeman, Wilder has to be careful that Baldock is not overplayed because that could mean losing him for the foreseeable future too.

But Freeman is expected back in the new year and then the Blades have rotation options at their disposal.

Sheff Utd fans - What do you make of this news? Let us know below...

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