WILDER: A NEW BREW WILL PICK US ALL UP
CHRIS WILDER claims record £23.5million signing Rhian Brewster cannot be expected to turn around Sheffield United on his own.
Former Liverpool starlet Brewster is set to make his debut against Fulham tomorrow and Wilder is keen to ease the pressure on his young shoulders.
Blades fans hope the England Under-21 striker (above, with Wilder) can solve their goalscoring problems – they have netted just once in four straight Premier League defeats.
Brewster, 20, played only 20 league games while on loan at Swansea last season and Wilder says he cannot be expected to start scoring immediately.
“I don’t want to put too much on him because he’s still a very young player,” said Wilder.
“We all shoulder the responsibility. When we win, we all take the credit. When we lose, we all take the disappointment. We don’t rely on one person, we’ve always been a team. But we want individuals to shine and I’m sure Rhian will shine in our system. He’s been a breath of fresh air. He’s given us a real spark and he’s lifted everyone.”
Wilder is unsure if
Brewster, who scored 10 goals for Swansea, is ready to start because he has not played since Liverpool’s Community Shield defeat by Arsenal nearly two months ago.
“Obviously the decision whether to start him or not is a big one because of the position he came to us in, flitting between their first team and the Under-23s,” said the Blades boss.
“Often when players do that they aren’t in the condition you want them to be in. Can he do 90 minutes? Can he do 70? Is it better to bring him on when the game opens up? Does he start for us?
“He wants to start and it looks like he can. I’ve got to think about those things.”
Wilder has requested permission to play John Egan tomorrow, even though he has been told to self-isolate because of the coronavirus cases in the Republic of Ireland squad.
Egan has tested negative and Wilder claims internationals should be shelved during the pandemic because too many players are catching the virus. “One and a half metre in one country, two in another, and boys flying about all over the place,” he said. “To managers it’s not acceptable.”