Wilder Reveals Injury Concerns as Sheffield United Lead Race For Premier League Forward | OneFootball

Sheffield United will return to Championship action this Saturday as they host Norwich City at Bramall Lane. Following their FA Cup exit last week against Cardiff City, the Blades will look to build on their recent league success, a 2-1 victory over Watford.

On the other side, Norwich City enter the match with momentum, having won their previous league outing 2-1 against Coventry City. The Canaries are on a four-match unbeaten run, striving to close the gap on the playoff positions as they chase consistency.

Chris Wilder Offers Injury Update For Sheffield United vs Norwich

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: Vinicius Souza of Sheffield United gestures during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Watford FC at Bramall Lane on September 01, 2024 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Blades manager Chris Wilder recognises the challenge Norwich presents. In his pre-match press conference, he highlighted the competitive nature of the Championship and Norwich’s pedigree, saying: “There’s a lot of good squads in the Championship. Always quite lively, interesting games vs Norwich. They’ve had promotions, they’ve been in the Premier League… There’s 12-14 clubs that have been in the Premier League in the last 5-10 years.”

He added, “Another tough game; another team that has been up down up down. There’s not a lot of clubs that have not tasted the Premier League and there’s a few that want to get back there and that’s the fight we’ve had all season. Tough game down there [at Carrow Road earlier in the season]. I thought it was a fair result – we were good that day and Norwich were good.”

Wilder offered fitness updates on several players: Vinicius Souza and Jesurun Rak-Saky are both doubtful for Saturday but expected to be available by midweek. Meanwhile, Femi Seriki and Tyrese Campbell are fit and included in the squad for the Norwich clash. Jamie Shackleton is out for the short to medium term due to a foot injury that hasn’t healed as expected.

Wilder also commented on Kieffer Moore’s fitness issues, he revealed, “Kieffer Moore needs a hernia operation. I’ve kept that under the radar but the boy hasn’t been great for two or three or four weeks from a physical point of view. I’ve got to say, when people have a nip at him, which maybe happens if you miss a penalty or don’t produce your best performances, but they need to know that’s the reason. Kieffer’s been battling with this issue for quite a while now so he needs an operation.”

The United chief did state that he will be involved on Saturday and he will only undergo the operation once the Blades do have reinforcements in.

Blades Pull the Trigger on Cannon?

LUTON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 10: Tom Cannon of Stoke City moves away from Daiki Hashioka during the Sky Bet Championship match between Luton Town FC and Stoke City FC at Kenilworth Road on December 10, 2024 in Luton, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Speaking of reinforcements, Sheffield United have reportedly made significant strides in their pursuit of Leicester City’s Tom Cannon. The Blades submitted a formal bid of £10 million upfront, with potential add-ons tied to promotion, per The Star. Despite interest from Sunderland, Wilder confirmed United are firmly in the race: “There’s a bid gone in. Other clubs want the player… We’re in the race for Tom [Cannon], but there’s a lot of things that have got to happen.”