Sheffield United regular will fear for starting spot after Chris Wilder spree | OneFootball

Sheffield United midfielder Callum O'Hare's place in the team could come under threat after the club's January spending.

It has been an excellent season for Sheffield United in the Championship so far, but they suffered a rare setback as they were beaten 3-0 by struggling Hull City at Bramall Lane on Friday night.

It was an uncharacteristically poor performance from Sheffield United as goals from Matt Crooks and Matty Jacob and an own goal from Harrison Burrows sealed a deserved victory for relegation-threatened Hull.

Manager Chris Wilder admitted it was a "disappointing night" and insisted his players "have to get over this pretty quickly", and while the Blades do currently remain second in the table, that could soon change.

United will have been relieved to see fourth-placed Sunderland draw 2-2 at home to bottom side Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, but they could lose their spot in the automatic promotion places if third-placed Burnley beat league leaders Leeds United on Monday night.

Regardless of the outcome at Turf Moor, the Blades will be looking to get back to winning ways when they make the trip to face Derby County, who have lost their last six league games, at Pride Park on Saturday, and Wilder is facing some big selection dilemmas after the club's January spending.

Chris Wilder has a major headache after Sheffield United transfer business

Given the lack of depth in his squad, Wilder had long spoken about the need for reinforcements in January, and he has certainly been given significant backing by new owners Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy.

Ben Brereton Diaz scored six goals and provided one assist in 16 appearances during his loan spell in the Premier League with the Blades last season, and he has returned to Bramall Lane on a temporary basis from Southampton, with the club having the option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

Tom Cannon was one of the leading scorers in the Championship in the first half of the season, scoring 11 goals and registering one assist in 25 games for Stoke City, and United have signed him from Leicester City for an initial fee of £10 million, that could eventually rise to £13 million.

The Cannon deal is a clear statement of intent from Rosen and Eltoukhy, but he is unlikely to be the last new arrival in South Yorkshire this month as the Blades are closing in on the addition of Hertha Berlin defender Jonjoe Kenny for a fee of £800,000, and as FLW exclusively revealed last week, they are also edging closer to the loan signing of Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury.

After admitting that his squad has been stretched over the busy winter period, Wilder confidently stated that "the cavalry are coming" after the defeat to Hull on Friday night, referring to his new arrivals and key players returning from injury, but while he will be pleased to have more options at his disposal, he will now face a number of selection headaches.

It is difficult to know exactly what Wilder's first-choice starting line-up will look like after the January transfer window has closed, but one player who may be concerned about losing his place in the team is midfielder Callum O'Hare.

Callum O'Hare could be a victim of Sheffield United's January spending

It is fair to say that the signing of O'Hare was seen as a coup for the Blades in the summer, with the club fighting off competition from the likes of Leeds, Southampton, Burnley, Celtic and Rangers to land the 26-year-old following his departure from Coventry City.

Despite missing much of the first half of the season with injury, O'Hare starred for the Sky Blues last term, scoring 10 goals and providing four assists in 36 games, and many expected him to thrive at Bramall Lane in a promotion-chasing United side.

However, O'Hare has scored just two goals and registered five assists in 29 appearances for the Blades, and some have been a little underwhelmed by his performances this season.

In his defence, he has been forced to play out of position at times this campaign due to injuries to some of United's wingers, and he has started every single league game so far, underlining the clear faith that Wilder has in him.

Wilder is evidently a big fan of O'Hare, but following the arrivals of Brereton Diaz and Cannon, there is a strong possibility that the midfielder could now find himself out of the starting line-up.

Brereton Diaz and Cannon came straight into the team against Hull on Friday, with the former starting on the left and the latter up front, and given the club's sizeable investment in the pair, they will surely keep their places moving forward.

The fit-again Jesurun Rak-Sakyi seems certain to start on the right for the Blades, which means that Wilder will have to choose between O'Hare and Hamer for the number 10 role, and given that Hamer's numbers this season are significantly better than his former Coventry teammate (six goals and five assists in 29 games), it is likely that he will be given the nod when he returns from suspension.

Of course, Wilder will be delighted to have these dilemmas, and United's squad will be the envy of many in the Championship, but the loyalty he has shown to O'Hare this season may now be tested after the January spending spree.