Sheffield United selection headache for Leeds United clash as Chris Wilder shares Daniel Farke issue

Sheffield United will be watching with bated breath as key defender Harry Souttar heads halfway across the world ahead of next weekend’s massive trip to Leeds United.

Souttar has been virtually ever-present in the Blades’ backline since arriving on loan from Leicester City, playing every Championship minute since coming off the bench for a 14-minute appearance in their second league game of the campaign - a 2-2 draw against QPR. The 25-year-old has formed an iron-clad partnership with Anel Ahmedhodzic, playing his part in a six-game run without conceding going into the October international break.

That break will be anything but for Souttar , however, who will fly over 20,000 miles in total from Yorkshire to Australia and then on to Japan for Australia’s two World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan. The latter kicks off at 11.35am on Tuesday with a roughly 18-hour journey back home before the centre-back’s Sheffield United side head to Elland Road.

“We talked about it with him,” Blades boss Chris Wilder recently told The Star of Souttar’s arduous journey. “He's pretty cool and relaxed about it, he's got his process he goes through. I don't think he's in cattle class, or hopefully not anyway. It'd be a bit of a struggle for a 6ft 8in guy to squeeze in one of those seats on an 18 hour flight back!

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“He's got a process but I've got to say his performance against Hull last time was outstanding. So we have to trust him and what he does. He wants to play for his country and he's a main actor for them, as much as he is a main actor for us.”

Racking up the air miles

Wilder’s host next Friday knows all-too-well the issues that come with a squad full of international players, with six of Daniel Farke’s first-team regulars jetting off to represent their countries - a number that would be much higher, were it not for injuries to Ethan Ampadu, Max Wober, Ilia Gruev, Manor Solomon and Dan James. And three in particular will be facing a race to feature against the Blades.

Ao Tanaka has joined up with his Japan teammates for World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Souttar’s Australia, with his journey from Leeds to Jeddah, then on to Tokyo and back to Leeds totalling around 14,800 miles. Similarly, Brenden Aaronson will be part of the USA squad hosting Panama in Texas before facing Mexico in Guadalajara at 3.30am on Wednesday morning, with his flight back to West Yorkshire taking the midfielder’s air miles up to around 11,000.

Junior Firpo’s Dominican Republic face Antigua and Barbuda twice in the next week, with both taking place in Bermuda - a slight help for the defender’s travel time. Nevertheless, he will fly over 10,000 miles there and back before returning to Leeds on Wednesday morning at the earliest.

Both Aaronson and Firpo play their final games significantly later than the Japan vs Australia clash that will signal the return of Tanaka and Souttar, for Leeds and Sheffield United respectively. They will likely have just one training session back at Thorp Arch before next Friday’s huge Championship clash.