Sheffield United: Boss hopes for good news over Man City pair for key Rotherham United clash

The Manchester City youngsters were both absent from the Blades squad that beat Burnley 5-2 at Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon, McAtee struggling to shake off the after-effects of a horror tackle a few days earlier at Bristol City and Doyle suffering damage to his calf.

But both men could return to the United squad against Matt Taylor's side, after Heckingbottom revealed McAtee had volunteered to be involved against Burnley and was originally scheduled to take his place on the bench.

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"We all saw the tackle [at Ashton Gate] and Macca's knee swelled up. He was sore Wednesday, a little bit better Thursday, then he got on the grass on Friday and was better again. We had him on the bench yesterday because it was settling down day to day. He put himself forward but it was my call in the end to say no. He should be all right for Tuesday."

Although McAtee has so far struggled to make a consistent impact since joining United in the summer, Doyle had established himself as a key men in the Blades midfield before damaging his calf in victory over West Bromwich Albion.

"We knew about his issue from that game, but he finished the game so it's not a significant injury," Heckingbottom added. "Just a little bit of damage to his calf."

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