Jobi McAnuff says Chris Wilder cannot give his Sheffield United players an excuse for their Carabao Cup exit. The Blades lost 1-0 to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday, with Rhys Norrington-Davies scoring an own goal in the 57th minute.
That defeat, which came after Wilder made seven changes to his side, was part of a demanding run of nine games in four weeks. The team's recent form shows three wins and two losses from their last five matches, including a league defeat to Wolves last weekend.
McAnuff, a former Reading midfielder, argued the squad should have been strong enough to win regardless of the schedule. "It's easy to come out after that and say the players haven't done enough and maybe that's true," he said.
He added that the rotated team was still of a high standard. "The side is stacked. That is a side that should be, respectfully to Fleetwood Town, able to go and win a game of football no matter how much you've played or not played."
The loss leaves Sheffield United out of the Carabao Cup as they prepare for a Championship visit to Stoke City this weekend. Wilder will be without several players for that fixture, with Femi Seriki, Harrison Burrows, Ryan One, Sam McCallum and Tahith Chong all currently sidelined. Fans can check the full squad list and the upcoming fixtures for the latest team news and schedule.
