After losing Cameron Carter-Vickers when Tottenham recalled him, why didn’t Sheffield United look to replace him?
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder during the Sky Bet Championship match against Norwich City.
Sheffield United were far from quiet in the January transfer window, eventually bringing in four new players to add to their squad.
Summer hunts for Ryan Leonard and Ricky Holmes were rekindled and completed, while Lee Evans joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers and James Wilson was signed on loan from Manchester United.
James Wilson of Sheffield United reacts during the Sky Bet Championship match against Norwich City.
There were departures too, the most prominent of which being Cameron Carter-Vickers’ return to Tottenham Hotspur after his own temporary spell and subsequent loaning out to fellow Championship outfit Ipswich Town.
Carter-Vickers had been pretty much ever-present for the Blades after making his move to Bramall Lane at the end of August, before being recalled by Spurs in a move that surprised even the player himself.
“I didn’t expect to be called back,” the 20-year-old told Ipswich’s official website. “I thought I would be at Sheffield for the season but then I got told Ipswich wanted me.”
Cameron Carter-Vickers of Sheffield United and Conor Washington of Queens Park Rangers battle for possession during the Sky Bet Championship match.
So United lost a centre-back, which when they play a 3-5-3 formation could be seen as something of a problem as manager Chris Wilder was left with just four natural options in the position.
It could mean more opportunities for Ben Heneghan – who has played just once for the South Yorkshire outfit following a summer switch from Motherwell – but even then Wilder could be left short with just a few injuries or suspensions and if the 50-year-old wants to keep the same system that has served him so well, it seems strange that Carter-Vickers wasn’t replaced.
Ben Heneghan of Sheffield United collides with Paul Huntington of Preston North End during The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match at Bramall Lane.
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