Sheffield United: Why 'excuses' about drop in form are not being tolerated at Bramall Lane
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Having entered the international break three points above second-placed Norwich City, United are preparing to face Blackpool this weekend ahead of Dean Smith’s side on goal difference alone after losing to both Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City in quick succession.
Although he insists their recent results must be viewed in context, with around a dozen senior players missing the trip to the bet365 Stadium, Heckingbottom signalled coaching staff expect the squad to take ownership of the situation it has found itself in rather than wallow in self-pity.
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Hide Ad“There were no injuries, none,” he said, responding to a question about James McAtee’s condition after he was substituted during the meeting with Stoke. “No injuries, and that’s it.”
Heckingbottom’s decision to try and shutdown talk about United’s fitness issues was taken as a sign that, not only is he growing increasingly exasperated by the situation, but also the 44-year-old does not want the conversation at Bramall Lane to continually revolve around absentees. Heckingbottom insisted McAtee had been brought off because of cramp, maintaining that position despite being probed on the subject continually following the 3-1 defeat. After going down in the second-half, McAtee immediately raised an arm towards the sky and captain Billy Sharp rolled his towards the bench - indicating the on-loan youngster was unable to continue. But if Heckingbottom’s prognosis is correct, then McAtee will be available when Michael Appleton’s men travel to South Yorkshire.
Scepticism about what the on-loan midfielder was being treated for is inevitable, given United’s admission they do not always tell the entire truth when it comes to injuries for fear of alerting their rivals to Heckingbottom’s selection plans.
Earlier this term, the 44-year-old criticised Bosnia and Herzegovina for publishing a statement confirming Anel Ahmedhodzic had damaged a thigh muscle, claiming it had provided Birmingham City with an advantage ahead of their draw with United. However, officials in Sarajevo will have felt obligated to inform their own supporters why the centre-half was going to sit out their most recent round of Nations League games. Presumably, they had also been briefed on Ahmedhodzic’s predicament before agreeing not to demand he travelled to the Bosnian’s training camp in order to be assessed by their own medical experts. The communique from the Balkans country stated Ahmedhodzic would be absent for “at least” a month although Heckingbottom has since disputed this, telling journalists he was “running” last week. If correct, that could see him named in the squad to face Blackpool, who make the journey east on the back of a 3-1 win over Watford.
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“We’re working hard to get some of these lads back,” Heckingbottom said. “Hopefully some aren’t too far away, although we can’t afford to take many risks because it’s a long season. As you’d expect, some are closer than others. But we’re doing everything we can to make sure they’re out there again as quickly as possible.”
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