Goalkeeper Wes Foderingham set for Sheffield United league bow as the Blades host Huddersfield Town in search of a first win

Sheffield United manager Slavisa Jokanovic has confirmed that 30-year-old goalkeeper Wes Foderingham will make his first league appearance for the Blades against Huddersfield Town on Saturday. This is following Aaron Ramsdale’s transfer to Arsenal and Michael Verrips’ uninspiring league debut against West Brom on Wednesday night.

Last summer, the English ‘keeper joined the Blades on a free transfer from Scottish giants Rangers but has only made one appearance for the South Yorkshire club to date in the EFL Cup.

The opportunity has arisen rather quickly with Aaron Ramsdale’s proposed move to Arsenal escalating on Wednesday with the deal worth £24m confirmed by the Gunners on Friday.

24-year-old Michael Verrips had been thought to be ahead of Foderingham but a disastrous league debut on Wednesday night, in which the Dutchman conceded four goals and was at fault for two, has acted as a catalyst for the former-Rangers man to get an opportunity against Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield.

A strong performance is vital not just from Foderingham but the entire United team with the Bramall Lane club still seeking their first league win and goal of the season, following defeats to Birmingham City and West Brom, as well as a goalless draw at Swansea City.

Their 4-0 midweek defeat to promotion rivals West Brom has certainly left a sour taste in the mouths of those associated with the football club, but Saturday should be seen as the perfect opportunity to get an already much-needed three points.

The Terriers have had a mixed start to the campaign, earning four points from their opening three games.

A 1-1 draw at Derby County on the opening weekend and a 1-0 home victory over bottom club Preston North End came either side of a humiliating 5-1 defeat to pace setters Fulham at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Despite Town’s three-point and three-goal advantages over United, it should be seen as a decent chance to get their campaign truly underway.

Back at Bramall Lane for the first time in two weeks, the S2 faithful will certainly need to get behind their side to guide them towards those three points.

It is a surprise that Jokanovic’s men haven’t been able to score a league goal in the opening trio of fixtures, given the well-documented value of their strike force (around £50m); there are certainly high expectations which may be causing a slight dip in confidence.

We are very much witnessing the early glimpses of the Jokanovic era and patience is a necessity.

The Serbian has inherited a squad where the vast majority of players were long-term servants of the previous manager Chris Wilder, who had instilled an entirely different system to that of Jokanovic.

Signings will certainly help too with there just eleven days left of the transfer window. However, there could be a debut for Liverpool loanee Ben Davies, who was an unused substitute at The Hawthorns on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old defender became the Blades’ first (and to date only) signing of the window on Monday and will certainly prove a helpful option as the season goes on.

In terms of short-term ambitions though, three points on Saturday is already vital. It would add a bit of steel to the Blades which could hopefully ignite some momentum going into the international break after a trip to Luton Town next weekend.

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