Central defensive pair Claude Davis and Craig Short are in contention to make their first appearance of the season against Blackburn at the weekend.
Club record capture Davis, signed for £3million from Preston in the Summer, is said to be making encouraging progress after sustaining a knee injury in the pre-season friendly at Notts County at the beginning of August. Meanwhile, ex-Rovers lynchpin Craig Short is also vying for a place in manager Neil Warnock`s starting line-up after penning a new one-year deal last week.
‘I don’t want to play just because it’s my old club, I want to be fit for Reading, I want to be fit for Arsenal and the games after that,’ said Short on BBC Radio Sheffield`s Football Heaven programme last night.
‘I’ve got a couple more days with the fitness coaches… they’ll tell me if I’m right or not, and make a decision with the manager as we’ve got a couple of centre-halves injured at the moment, Leigh Bromby and Chris Lucketti,” added the 38-year-old.
Even if fit, Lucketti was not expected to figure in Warnock`s immediate thoughts. Bromby is facing a late fitness test, but as he was switched to right-back for the defeat at Fulham, United would be expected to draft in David Sommeil to fill his shoes if the former Wednesday player fails to recover.
Warnock must decide whether to keep faith with Phil Jagielka and Chris Morgan in the centre of United`s defence. Both enjoyed reasonable games at Craven Cottage. But regarded as his fourth-choice centre half before the season began, Morgan could be the one to make way. However, attempting to second guess Warnock is always problematic, particularly if he elects to shift Jagielka back into the midfield engine room.
If Warnock does decide to gamble on either Short or Davis, the manager is likely to put sentiment to one side and hand the Jamaican international his Blades debut ahead of Short. Viewing Davis`s pace and power as a critical asset to United`s rearguard, Warnock may see the defender as the perfect barrier in preventing Blackburn`s new front pairing of Jason Roberts and Benni McCarthy from reeking havoc on Saturday.
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