Sheffield United captain John Egan has picked up a leg injury in his side's defeat at West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
The 30-year-old started at the heart of the visitors' defence at the London Stadium, where the Blades were unable to earn their maiden victory of the 2023-24 term.
Supporters of the Yorkshire club would have travelled to the capital with more hope than expectation following a 8-0 humiliation against Newcastle United last weekend.
Unfortunately for United, they suffered their sixth loss of the top-flight campaign in East London, with Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek grabbing first-half goals for the hosts.
Things got worse for Sheffield United in the second half, when Republic of Ireland international Egan went down with an injury which could keep him sidelined for an extended period.
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The moment arrived in the 56th minute, when Gustavo Hamer whipped in a corner-kick delivery from the right as Paul Heckingbottom's men searched for a way back into the contest.
Egan rose above his marker and attacked the ball, but soon fell awkwardly, keeping him on the ground for quite some time at the London Stadium.
The club captain was unable to continue as his men pushed for an unlikely point in the capital, with vice-captain Chris Basham coming on to replace Egan, who hobbled off the pitch with the assistance of a team physio.
Basham and the rest of the Blades contingent were unable to find a meaningful response for the remaining 30 minutes, condemning the club to their sixth loss in seven Premier League matches so far.
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United are rooted to the bottom of the top-flight standings heading towards the second international break of the term, currently faring worse than fellow promoted sides Burnley and Luton in the Premier League table.
It remains to be seen whether Egan will be fit for the Blades' final fixture before the international pause next weekend, when they once again travel to London to face Marco Silva's Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Potential replacements for the Irishman in the starting XI are the aforementioned Basham, as well as summer arrival Auston Trusty, who enjoyed a successful spell on loan at Birmingham City season in the Championship.
After boasting the second-best defensive record in the second tier last term - conceding just 39 goals in 46 league matches - United have been exposed too often on their return to the top flight, letting in a division-high tally of 19 goals in seven games so far.
Carter White
