Chris Wilder confirms triple Sheffield United blow ahead of Sheffield Wednesday clash | OneFootball

Chris Wilder has been hit with a trio of injuries ahead of the Steel City Derby in a few weeks.

Chris Wilder has ruled Rhys Norrington-Davies, Harry Clarke and Tom Davies out of Sheffield United's next three fixtures, concluding with the Steel City Derby against Sheffield Wednesday.

This revelation arose in the head coach's pre-match interview with The Star looking ahead to Saturday's match against Preston North End.

The Blades are embroiled in a promotion race with Burnley and Leeds United. However, the latter seem well-assured of top spot if they continue their current form, leaving Wilder's side to fight it out against Scott Parker's team.

At present, United hold a two-point advantage over the Clarets, and with a home game against 15th-place Preston tomorrow, they will expect to maintain that lead, if not extend it.

Following that, the Blades will host play-off-chasing Bristol City before making the short trip to Hillsborough, where they’ll be aiming to claim bragging rights in the Steel City Derby. It won’t be an easy task, and with three first-team players unavailable, Wilder may be forced to call upon others from the bench or even make changes to the starting XI in order to secure a vital result.

Chris Wilder hit with injured trio

Norrington-Davies hasn't been a regular in the starting XI this season but was regularly included on the bench as a safeguarding option. Unfortunately, he will be out for at least the next three weeks after he sustained an injury in an Under-21s game against Birmingham City.

Speaking about this, the head coach said: "He's had a scan, we've taken him to a specialist so he won't be available definitely for the next three games.

"We've talked about it before, sometimes you just need a bit of luck. We've had it with other players and Rhys is one of those. It was a block tackle, he's planted his right foot and it's just an innocuous tackle that's tweaked something in the groin area. It's not been a great period for him personally."

Unfortunately, that isn’t the only concern for Wilder, with January signing Harry Clarke and Tom Davies also set to miss the next three matches.

"Harry won’t be available for the next two or three weeks," Wilder added. "He’ll be back for the Coventry game and Tom will too.

"Harry had a whack underneath his foot that needs to settle down and Tom had a tight calf. So he’s missed the last couple of games and the next couple too, so he’ll be back for the last eight games of the season."

Sheffield United injuries could afford others an opportunity

While Davies and Norrington-Davies may not be regular starters, their presence is invaluable, and they would provide reliable options from the bench for Wilder.

Meanwhile, Clarke has been a certified starter and his absence would usually be filled by Alfie Gilchrist. However, the Chelsea loanee is also injured and that will likely force the head coach to play either Hamza Choudhury as a makeshift full-back or the rarely utilised Femi Seriki.

The 22-year-old has yet to make 20 appearances for the Blades, but he understands the role far better than Choudhury, who is more accustomed to playing in midfield.

If there was ever a time for the former Rotherham United loanee to prove himself, it’s now, and these next three games could be the perfect opportunity for him to show his worth to his manager.