Update emerges on Oli Arblaster situation at Sheffield United - It's frustrating for Ruben Selles | OneFootball

Arblaster has been out since November with a knee injury.

Ruben Selles has confirmed that Ollie Arblaster will not return to action for Sheffield United in the first month of the new season.

It's been exactly eight months since we last saw the young midfielder on the pitch for the Blades. It was the first of two Steel City derbies that were held last season, and the Blades came out on top in both of them.

21-year-old Arblaster - 20 at the time - was Chris Wilder's captain heading into the first of those matches in November. He had made a very strong start to life in the Championship. United were one point off top spot with a game in hand heading into the contest and the midfielder had notched a few important goals and assists along the way.

His first ever Steel City derby proved to be a frustrating one for him, personally, as a knee injury forced him off at half-time in the Blades' 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. It was later revealed that he had suffered a cruciate ligament injury and he'd be out for the rest of the season.

They got close to winning promotion without him but fell just short of getting back to the top flight. In their second attempt to get back up to the Premier League, Arblaster, at least initially, won't be able to help.

Sheffield United deal frustrating Ollie Arblaster news

"Ollie is not going to be with us until the middle of September if everything goes according to the plan," Selles told BBC Radio Sheffield. "We need to be a little bit careful, it's always complicated to come back after that kind of injury."

It's not all doom and gloom for the Spaniard, who has some big shoes to fill after the dismissal of the man who made Arblaster skipper. His team are currently away on a pre-season tour in his home nation, and he is relishing getting to teach his methods to his new cohorts.

He said: "It's one of the best parts of this job. They go to the grass, try to see how they implement your ideas, see how they play your ideas, how they improve your ideas. For me, the experience to be on the grass everyday is something that I need."

Sheffield United must target midfield options

The Blades need to find more options in midfield to start the season. They have lost a key cog in Vinicius Souza to Wolfsburg. They reportedly accepted an offer of £13 million. Without him and Arblaster, the centre of Selles' team doesn't look overly healthy.

A former player of Selles', Steven Alzate, is an option that United are looking at, according to Hull Live. He played a prominent role for Hull City while the Spaniard was in charge there. They'll certainly need players of the Colombian's ilk through the door, at least initially with Arblaster's return date coming well into the beginning of next term.