Chris Wilder left scratching his head after Sheffield United lose to Preston North End
Chris Wilder answers Louie Barry Sheffield United future question after omission sparks January transfer talk
Louie Barry still has time to make a success of his Sheffield United loan spell, Chris Wilder has confirmed - with the admission that the Blades need it to happen “sooner rather than later.” Barry was signed in the summer from Aston Villa, by Wilder’s predecessor and successor Ruben Selles.
After a scintilating loan spell at Stockport County last season there was real excitement about seeing Barry in a Blades shirt but he has flattered to deceive so far and has only featured briefly since Wilder’s return to Bramall Lane.
He and big-money striker Tom Cannon were both omitted from the squad entirely for the weekend defeat to Derby County, and it remains to be seen whether one or both return to the matchday 20 for tonight’s trip to league leaders Coventry City.
Asked if Cannon still had time to turn things around at United, ahead of a key January window that could see United attempt to cut short the loan spells of some of their temporary players, Wilder admitted: “There’s time for everybody.
Chris Wilder answers Louie Barry Sheffield United future question after omission sparks January transfer talk
“Everybody's on the clock and under the spotlight. Everybody. Even players that did well last season. I can’t keep rolling back the clock to last season and I think I've explained too many times, the certain situations that we're having to deal with at the minute.
“So there’s always time for any player but they need to do it sooner rather than later, because obviously the situation at the moment is not a great one.”
United travel to the Midlands still in the bottom three after their second successive defeat, with the tasks not getting any easier against Frank Lampard’s early pacesetters. Ryan One took Cannon’s place in the squad on Saturday while Barry was replaced on the bench by Nigerian wildcard Christian Nwachukwu.
“Show me,” said Wilder, when asked what he needs to see from Cannon and Barry to regain their place in the squad going forward. “Train well and take an opportunity. Ryan's done well, so I made that decision. You have to make decisions, regardless of any sort of things that have happened in the past.
“I'm not protecting anybody; I have to pick the best team. I don't always get that right but we try to pick the best approach, which we feel we are at the moment. We’re just making too many individual mistakes and they are costing us.
“So any opportunity - whether it's on the training ground or whether it's minutes, starting or coming onto the pitch - they've got to grab that opportunity and stick themselves to the front of the queue.”
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