Should Sheffield United return for Manchester United’s Joe Riley in January?

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Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder stated that he would happily welcome young defender Joe Riley back to Brammal Lane.

Joe Riley’s loan spell at Sheffield United was cut unfairly short last season. The Manchester United youngster was due to stay with The Blades until the end of their League One title winning campaign last season but, after suffering a dislocated shoulder, returned to Old Trafford in March.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder stated in the summer that the Yorkshire giants, who are sitting third in the Championship after a fantastic start to the season, would welcome Riley back with open arms, per The Star.

Since then, however, The Blades completed the signing of George Baldock from MK Dons as a back-up option, suggesting that there was no more room for Riley at Brammal Lane.

And though Kieran Freeman, the club’s first choice right-back, will be out for up to a month with a knee injury sustained during last week’s clash with Ipswich Town, he should return before the January transfer window – possibly negating the need for Riley to return.

Nonetheless, the Manchester United prospect is crying out for a short-term spell away from Old Trafford.

The 20-year-old is unlikely to play a role in United’s first-team this season and is currently a regular in an Under-23 side who have not won in seven games. Academy football, however, appears to be far less beneficial to Riley than regular minutes in the senior game.

Riley made great strides in his short-lived spell at Sheffield United under Wilder and it appears that a return to Brammal Lane would have been the best option in the summer.

Now, with Sheffield United boasting two solid right-backs, you wonder whether the chance has passed him by.