Sheffield United defender Jack O'Connell could be set to miss a large portion of the 2021-22 season after suffering a setback in his recovery from a knee injury, per YorkshireLive.

After starting the first two Premier League games of the 2020-21 campaign, the 27-year-old had to miss the rest of the campaign after he needed an operation on a knee injury that had been troubling him for over a year.

Setbacks throughout the season meant that O'Connell never returned to the pitch but the club were hopeful of his return for the start of the upcoming campaign.

He was missing from the club's pre-season trip to Spain though this week and The Sun revealed that the defender had been through another procedure that would leave him out of action for between six and 10 months.

Now the Blades have confirmed to YorkshireLive that O'Connell has undergone a second operation and will spend more time on the sidelines without going into detail on what the issue was - but it can be assumed that the long-term time-frame was indeed correct.

The Verdict

The fact that the Blades were linked with left-footed centre-back Matt Clarke before he secured a move to West Brom now makes sense as they could be without O'Connell for another full season.

The defender played really well in his debut Premier League season so for his second campaign to be cut short so soon was a big blow for him personally but also for Sheffield United as a whole.

And considering it could be almost two years since O'Connell's last taste of football before he returns to the pitch, there's a big chance that he does not return the same player as he once was.

It's a cruel blow for O'Connell but hopefully one he can successfully recover from.