Sheffield United handed double player boost | OneFootball

Ruben Selles has clarified the fitness of Michael Cooper and Oli Arblaster ahead of Sheffield United's EFL Cup match against Birmingham.

Sheffield United manager Ruben Selles has clarified the positions of highly-rated goalkeeper Michael Cooper and injury-stricken midfielder Oliver Arblaster

Sheffield United had a disastrous start to their bid to get back to the Premier League at the weekend, with a 4-1 home defeat against Bristol City, who they beat 3-0 home and away in last season's Championship play-off semi-finals.

Having lost the final narrowly to Sunderland last season, the Blades have been busy all summer rebuilding, with Selles having arrived to replace the sacked Chris Wilder in June.

There has been widespread speculation on social media surrounding the fitness of highly-rated goalkeeper Michael Cooper and the progress being made by midfielder Oliver Arblaster, who hasn't played for them since a serious injury during their win against Sheffield Wednesday in November 2024, with Selles addressing the issue of Cooper's fitness ahead of their EFL Cup match against Birmingham City.

The Star has reported that Selles has confirmed that there are no fitness issues with goalkeeper Cooper, who has been the subject of transfer interest from both Everton and West Ham in recent weeks.

The idea that Cooper could be playing through an injury started before the start of their League season, when he missed a couple of their pre-season matches, but gained traction after their humbling at the hands of Bristol City on Saturday evening.

But Selles has now debunked this suggestion, telling The Star: "He's fully fit. He has been training and he played.

"Let’s see if he plays tomorrow. But if he doesn't, then it's not for any fitness reasons."

Cooper has earned rave reviews since transferring to Sheffield United from Plymouth Argyle in August 2024.

The Blades were reported to have paid a fee worth up to £4 million for the goalkeeper, and with speculation surrounding his transfer this summer, the Blades could cash in and make a handsome profit from selling him were they to sell him for the £15 million that it's been reported they want for him.

Both Everton and West Ham United have expressed an interest in the goalkeeper, but journalist Alan Nixon reported that neither the goalkeeper nor Sheffield United wanted a move to Merseyside, while West Ham did not come anywhere near Sheffield United's eight-digit valuation for him.

West Ham eventually ended up signing Mads Hermansen from Leicester City instead, meaning the Hammers are now surely not looking Cooper's way any longer.

Rumours of Arblaster setback are also wide of the mark

The Star also provided an update to similar rumours concerning Oliver Arblaster, that the midfielder has suffered a setback to the cruciate ligament injury which has kept him out since their win against Sheffield Wednesday in November 2024.

A now-deleted post on the social media site X had suggested that Arblaster would now be out until the new year after suffering an unspecified setback with his recovery from the injury.

But it has now been confirmed that this is untrue by The Star, and that the player remains on course to back in contention for a place in the Blades' first-team in the near future.