Manchester United’s young defender Joe Riley was forced to cut short a loan move at Sheffield United after dislocating his shoulder.
Though Sheffield United look set to romp to the League One title after sealing promotion with five games to spare, manager Chris Wilder will know that he has a busy summer ahead attempting to ready The Blades for Championship football.
And, according to the South Yorkshire Times, his first priority could be to reunite with a player he signed just three months ago.
Manchester United right-back Joe Riley joined Sheffield United on loan in January but, after just two appearances for The Blades, suffered a dislocated shoulder and was forced to cut short his temporary stay in the Steel City.
Though Wilder, who lauded the 20-year-old’s attitude and commitment in training a few weeks after he joined, has hinted that the door could be open for Riley to return to Bramall Lane in the summer.
“I know Joe has kept in touch with some of the lads here,” Wilder told the South Yorkshire Times.
“We’ve not taken it any further out of respect for them [Manchester United] and for him; he’s obviously focusing on his recovery. But we’ll see what happens.”
Wilder has reportedly already laid the foundations for a summer recruitment drive, with The Sun claiming that they are targeting Southend United’s versatile all-rounder Ryan Leonard.
And the potential return of Riley, who played twice for Manchester United under Louis Van Gaal, promises to add further quality to the squad ahead of what is likely to be a testing first campaign back in the second tier after six seasons away.
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