Sheffield United dealt major ACL injury blow ahead of two West Brom clashes in December

West Brom take on Championship promotion rivals Sheffield United twice in December but the Blades will prepare for those games without one of their key players after what has been described as a ‘heart-breaking’ injury blow.

Oliver Arblaster has swiftly established himself as a key cog for the Blades but is facing a long spell out after picking up an injury before the international break. The player was injured in United’s 1-0 win over rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the Steel City derby. He received treatment on the pitch for an issue with his knee and carried on before being withdrawn at half time.

The Star in Sheffield has now reported that scans have revealed a serious injury that could rule Arblaster out for the season. There is supposed doubt over whether the midfielder will be able to return to the pitch this campaign with the player said to be ‘heartbroken’ by the set-back. An exact timeline has not been revealed but he will certainly not feature against the Baggies next month if the reports are to be believed.

West Brom, who are fifth in the table and six points behind the Blades in second, face Chris Wilder’s side at The Hawthorns on December 8 before the reverse fixture at Bramall Lane three weeks later on December 29. Wilder said of the injury after Sheffield United’s win over their city rivals earlier this month: "He was devastated to come off at half-time. I had to drag the captain's armband off.”

Providing an update on Friday, Arblaster posted on social media that he had undergone surgery on his ACL. Wilder himself said: "He's obviously not in a great place mentally at the moment but this is a test for him as a young player. For it to happen at this part of his career, he has to get over it and get on with it. As you can imagine he'll get all the support from everybody but there will be a bit of tough love in there as well because he has to use the time diligently. We'll just take it month by month. He certainly won't play until after Christmas. If we get him back before the end of the season that's great and if not he'll be ready for next year."

Arblaster was on loan at Port Vale last season before returning to the Blades to help with their Premier League survival battle. He captained his boyhood club aged 19 in a 4-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford and again against Newcastle United. Speaking in the summer, he stated his desire to play in the top flight for as long as possible. He said: “These are games that obviously as a kid you want to be involved in and you want to test yourself against the best. Going to places like Old Trafford and St. James’ Park and Anfield, they’re all amazing places to play football and obviously I want to play at the top for as long as I can.”