£13m Leeds United transfer target fires Championship promotion warning as injury scare explained

Gustavo Hamer insists focus among the Sheffield United squad is solely on their own performances during a ‘tough’ Championship promotion race with Leeds United and others.

All four promotion contenders picked up three points during the midweek round of fixtures, with Leeds thumping Watford 4-0 on Tuesday before watching their rivals 24 hours on. Sheffield United came through the toughest game with a 3-1 win at home to Middlesbrough, while Burnley and Sunderland beat Hull City and Luton Town respectively.

Hamer was the standout player for Sheffield United against Middlesbrough, with his midweek display showing why Leeds bid £13million for him in the summer and why Bramall Lane chiefs wanted plenty more. And the Dutchman will hope to carry that form into a massive Yorkshire derby a week on Monday - albeit focus will not turn to that until Saturday’s trip to Luton is done and dusted.

"We did really well and you've seen how good we can be," Hamer told The Star following his side’s midweek win. "It was class today. It [the promotion race] is tough, the top four are all doing well. But we have to look at ourselves and just keep winning.

"We've got Luton this weekend and then a massive one a week on Monday. We just have to keep winning our games and then it doesn't matter what anyone else does."

Subscribe to Inside Elland Road, with Graham Smyth for unique, behind-the-scenes Leeds United coverage, expert analysis and exclusive interviews

Hamer could end up being a doubt for the visit of Leeds to Bramall Lane, having signalled towards the bench during Wednesday’s game suggesting a hamstring injury. The 27-year-old did manage to play out most of the midweek clash before coming off on 82 minutes, shortly before Sheffield United scored their third goal.

Chris Wilder’s side are due at Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon, with another eight full days between then and that meeting with Leeds. That will likely allow plenty of recovery time for Hamer, who will surely not be risked this weekend if something isn’t right.

"I was feeling it after 20 minutes," The Blades star said after the full-time whistle. "But we've got a good medical team and they looked after me at half-time. I had to be a bit careful but when the adrenaline's flowing you just want to go and go and go. Hopefully it'll be okay tomorrow."

Wilder will likely provide an update on his talisman ahead of Sheffield United’s weekend trip to Luton, although he is expected to be fit when Leeds head down the road. Barring any major surprises, the Yorkshire rivals will be in the top two come kick-off a week on Monday, although plenty can change beforehand.

Leeds don’t welcome Sunderland to Elland Road until Monday night and could kick off that huge game in second, if Sheffield United beat rock-bottom Luton. But they could also have a huge opportunity to further increase the gap on their rivals, should Wilder’s side drop points at Kenilworth Road.