Sheffield United's Enda Stevens set to play at Leeds United, but Chris Basham and Sander Berge's injuries more concerning

Basham, who famously scored the winner when the sides last met at Elland Road in March 2019, suffered a kick in training on the Monday before the Blades' last game, an FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Chelsea and despite training for the rest of the week, the night before the game it was decided he would not be fit to play.

With a host of other absences at centre-back, including the on-loan Ethan Ampadu who was ineligible but should be available at Elland Road if he reports no ill-effects from his time away with Wales, wing-backs George Baldock and Stevens were pressed into action in the back three at Stamford Bridge.

For Stevens to be sent home early with an injury before the last of the Republic of Ireland's three internationals was therefore slightly concerning, but it seems to have been a sensible precaution to miss the friendly against Qatar.

“Enda came back from the Republic of Ireland but he should be okay to train,” interim manager Paul Heckingtottom confirmed.

“Bash was a strange one, it's more from contact and he was playing right up until before the (Chelsea) game. We've not managed to get him back on the training ground yet.”

Stevens' compatriot John Egan is back in training after an ankle injury picked up in Heckingbottom's first game in temporary charge, at Leicester City in mid-March, but Norwegian midfielder Berge is still to rejoin the group after picking up a tendon injury in December.

“Eags is back in training so hopefully we can build him back up as quick as possible so he can play,” explained Heckingbottom. “It’ll be a case of building him up and then playing 90.

“Sander’s still a couple of weeks away.

“He’s out on the grass building up his speed, he’s still doing his own personal rehab and once he’s back up to speed, we’ll be able to integrate him back with the squad.

“Hopefully we can clear that up in the next few days and have him available in the not-too distant future but as it stands at the moment, he's not training.”

Captain Billy Sharp is still “a few weeks” away with “quite significant muscle injury” in his groin.

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