Sheffield United: Chris Wilder discusses futures of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Harry Souttar ahead of January window | OneFootball

Chris Wilder has revealed he expects Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Harry Souttar to stay at Sheffield United for the full season.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has confirmed that Harry Souttar will stay at the club until the end of the season, whilst he is ‘incredibly confident’ that Jesurun Rak-Sakyi won’t be recalled by Crystal Palace in January.

The Blades have enjoyed a fantastic season so far, with Chris Wilder’s men sitting second in the table going into tonight’s fixture against fellow promotion hopefuls Sunderland. However, it’s worth noting that they would be top if they hadn’t been hit with a two points deduction.

And, whilst it has been a team effort, Souttar has been a commanding presence at the back for the Blades, and Rak-Sakyi has offered a dynamic attacking threat.

Chris Wilder provides Harry Souttar and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi update

With the duo on loan, there were naturally some concerns that they could be recalled by their parent clubs in the New Year.

Those worries were heightened by the fact that Leicester have changed their manager, with Ruud van Nistelrooy poised to take over, so he may have wanted to assess Souttar.

But, speaking to the Sheffield Star, Wilder confirmed that part of the agreement means the Australian international can’t be recalled, and whilst Palace could bring Rak-Sakyi back, the boss revealed he is expecting him to stay.

“I do believe - after doing a bit of digging - that from an appearance point of view, he had to play so many games, or a percentage of so many of the games and he’s past that now, so he's here for the season. And that's great news for us.

“(On Rak-Sakyi) No, we are in communication with Palace. Mark Bright was up at the game on Tuesday, and we're in constant communication. We’re incredibly confident that Jez will be with us. I spoke to Jez about it as well, and he’s got his head down, and he wants to stay for the season. We're really confident that will happen.”

Harry Souttar and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi are key to Sheffield United’s promotion chances

Sheffield United’s success this season has been built on clean sheets, and Souttar is an influential figure at the heart of the defence.

The giant centre-back had proven himself at this level in the past, so it’s not a surprise, but his move to Leicester didn’t work out, and it was going to be interesting to see how the former Stoke City man coped with a new club.

Blades.

With Rak-Sakyi, it’s not as clear-cut as there isn’t a clause, but Wilder’s comments here are very encouraging, as he is adamant that the winger will stay.

Palace’s struggles mean the Eagles will surely consider bringing him back, but you would presume there is a financial penalty if they do.

Either way, Wilder is clearly planning on working with the youngster for the full season, and, like Souttar, he will have a big role to play if Sheffield United are to return to the Premier League.