Another injury concern for Sheffield United as second midfielder hurt inside 24 hours

After Ollie Norwood suffered a nasty head injury at Rotherham United last night, which later required 10 stitches, teammate John Fleck was forced to limp out of the Blades’ friendly against Girona this afternoon after just 18 minutes.

The Scottish international took a solid whack on his right leg earlier in the game and after initially trying to continue, he eventually went down again and was immediately withdrawn - with youngster Josh Smith coming on to replace him.

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While Norwood’s injury is more straightforward in terms of recovery - the midfielder was not concussed but could miss Saturday’s trip to Derby as a precaution while the wound heals - the injury to Fleck will pose concern for boss Paul Heckingbottom, with the new Premier League season just over two weeks away.

If the Scot is out for any considerable time, United hope to soften the blow by signing midfield reinforcements ahead of the new season. Assistant manager Stuart McCall, himself a former midfielder of some repute, has cast his eye over a number of targets who could possibly complement United’s existing options in the middle of the park.