Chris Wilder explained his reasoning for maintaining trust in Wes Foderingham during Sheffield United’s 5-0 loss to Brighton over the weekend, despite the return to fitness of his previous first-choice goalkeeper, Ivo Grbic.
Grbic, who had been hailed as United’s new primary goalkeeper following his transfer from Atletico Madrid in the last window, endured a challenging start to English football, conceding five goals in his debut against Brighton in the FA Cup before suffering a concussion against Crystal Palace.
This incident resulted in Grbic missing two subsequent matches as per stringent concussion protocols, after initially hesitating to leave the pitch upon the advice of the club doctor.
Despite Wilder’s previous declaration that Grbic was his preferred goalkeeper, there was an anticipation that Foderingham would return to the bench after filling in for the 5-0 loss to Aston Villa and the subsequent 3-1 win against Luton Town. However, the former Rangers goalkeeper continued to be chosen against Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls and conceded five more goals in Sheffield United’s latest significant defeat of the season as the bottom-placed Blades.
Wilder embraced the decision and expressed a desire to confront such choices more frequently, particularly considering the additional injuries suffered in the lead-up to the Brighton match, which deprived him of crucial options.
Both Max Lowe and Rhys Norrington-Davies are set to sit out the remainder of the season following injuries sustained at Luton Town. Moreover, United faced another setback just before Sunday’s fixture as Cameron Archer incurred a calf injury.
Wilder stated in a recent interview with The Star, via SUTV: “Ivo had concussion and Wes had been part of a really good performance. Everything he did was tidy and I thought it was the right thing to do. It gives Ivo another week to get ready.”
