Slavisa Jokanovic has revealed that he was unable to give Rhian Brewster some minutes due to the nature of their 3-2 win over Barnsley on Sunday.

The Blades found themselves 3-0 up at Oakwell on 72 minutes, courtesy of a Lys Mousset brace and Ben Osborn finish from inside the area.

But Barnsley did give United a late scare, with Devante Cole and Aaron Leya Iseka pulling the score back to 3-2 with 10 minutes left to play.

United did survive, though, and picked up an invaluable three points - a perfect way to bounce back following their midweek defeat to Millwall at Bramall Lane.

At 3-0 up, Jokanovic did consider giving Brewster some game time, with the 21-year-old starting only three times in the Championship this season.

Speaking to Yorkshire Live, Jokanovic revealed: "With Rhian, we were thinking of giving him some minutes but with the circumstances of the game I took a decision for another movement.

"When we score three I am thinking about trying to score four and five and thinking about playing with Rhian, but the game bring me some situation where we had to try and defend the result."

The Verdict

It has been a tough time at United for Brewster, who has only scored one goal in 38 appearances since his big-money move from Anfield.

At 3-0 up and the momentum well in the Blades' favour, it would have been a perfect time to introduce him when confidence amongst the team was high.

But the Tykes' two goals made it difficult to do so, and you can't blame Jokanovic for wanting to protect the lead.