Jordan Ayew Set to Debut for Sheffield United Against Wolverhampton

Jordan Ayew is in line to pull on a Sheffield United shirt for the first time on Sunday, with Chris Wilder confirming the new signing will feature against Wolverhampton Wanderers (12:00 BST).

The Ghana forward arrived as a free agent on Tuesday and was rushed straight into the matchday squad that evening, taking a place on the bench against Blackburn Rovers. He did not get on, but his impact is coming.

"One of the attractions of signing Jordan, not just the level of his experience, his availability record is just incredible," Wilder said. "We are delighted physically where he's at and he will definitely be involved."

For a manager battling injuries all over the pitch, Ayew’s durability is gold dust. Wilder knows he needs players he can trust to go again and again. Ayew’s career has been built on exactly that.

The strain on the squad showed in midweek. Midfielder Hamza Choudhury was withdrawn after 58 minutes against Blackburn, a change Wilder put down to fatigue rather than fresh damage. In a different season, with a deeper bench, Choudhury might have been wrapped in cotton wool for a few days.

This is not that season.

"There's a few in an ideal world would be getting rested and maybe not starting, but that's the situation at the moment," Wilder admitted.

So Choudhury, the Bangladesh international, is still expected to play a part against Wolves. Ayew, newly arrived and already trusted, will be thrown straight into the mix.

Sheffield United are patched up, short on numbers, but suddenly armed with a forward whose biggest strength might be simply that he is always ready to play.