Sheffield United striker Rhian Brewster was reportedly close to tears after pulling up with yet another hamstring injury during the Blades 2-0 win away at West Bromwich Albion over the weekend.
The young forward has suffered persistent injuries dating back to his days as a Liverpool player and missed the entire second half of last season after picking up a similar problem. He was forced to undergo surgery to try and rectify the issue, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2021/22 season from February onwards.
However, going under the knife seemed to have the desired impact initially, given Brewster has been a regular at Bramall Lane this season. The 22-year-old has played in 16 of the opening 17 games this term, netting just once with a single assist to match.
Against the Baggies, Brewster was brought on just after the hour mark by boss Paul Heckingbottom but the England Under-21 star lasted 11 minutes before a hamstring injury struck again and he was forced to withdraw. It has been claimed on social media that the striker looked 'close to tears' as he was replaced by Billy Sharp.
Following the full-time whistle, the Blades boss was asked whether it was another hamstring problem that prompted the substitution and he replied: "Yeah. It's the Nature of the game and some players are prone to it. If you look across the game now a lot more players who are physical and powerful are picking up more serious injuries.
"I looked at data in 2010 for the sprints that players do and it's doubled. We maybe have to look at protecting those players more."
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It marks the latest low of Brewster's spell at Sheffield United, with the forward as of yet failing to justify the £23.5million his club paid Liverpool back in the summer of 2020 to bring him to the club. In 27 Premier League games for the Blades, the former Reds striker failed to score before relegation back down to the Championship.
Brewster bagged his first Blades goal in November of the following season but then sustained an ankle injury shortly after that that kept him out for six weeks.
Following a lengthy lay-off from a separate knock, Brewster returned in January of this year only to last less than a month before having to have surgery. It remains unclear just how long this latest injury concern will keep the talented former Anfield star out for.
