Skipper Billy Sharp will miss Sheffield United‘s Sky Bet Championship fixture against against Sunderland on Wednesday evening through injury.
The 36-year-old striker turned an ankle in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough and the damage is yet to be fully assessed because of swelling around the joint.
However, midfielder Ben Osborn is facing at least two weeks on the sidelines after suffering a similar injury at West Brom in the Carabao Cup.
Newcastle loanee Ciaran Clark sat out the trip to Teesside, but has a chance of returning, while fellow defender Chris Basham is available and Jayden Bogle is making progress in his recovery from knee surgery.
Sunderland boss Alex Neil will be without defender Carl Winchester for the trip to Bramall Lane.
Winchester has been struggling with a back problem for much of the campaign to date and is due to see a specialist on Wednesday to assess the extent of the injury.
He joins Dan Ballard on the sidelines after he suffered a foot fracture during Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with QPR, which the club has confirmed will rule him out “for the foreseeable future”.
Defender Niall Huggins continues to work his way back following back and heel problems.
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