No Cameron Archer for Sheffield United but it does not make Manchester City a 'free hit' says Paul Heckingbottom

The Blades are close to completing the signing £18m-rated Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer, but a deal has not yet been wrapped up and the deadline for him to be registered to face City on Sunday has been and gone.

Although Oli McBurnie is back in training after a foot injury, with no football this season, it may be a big ask for him start the game. If not, it will again fall to 20-year-old Will Osula, with Daniel Jebbison ill and Rhian Brewster still out.

Asked for an update on Archer's arrival, Heckingbottom replied: "It's out of my hands, I don't know.

"I'm hoping it's happening. I would have loved and Cameron would have loved to get it over the line to be involved on Sunday, but we haven't done it yet."

The newly-promoted Blades have lost their first two games of the season, City have won theirs, with a European Super Cup triumph in the middle for good measure.

"It's a tough game against the best team at the minute but one we're really looking forward to," said Heckingbottom. "It's at our place, the fans are back in, which is great.

"Last time we were in the Premier League the fans weren't there so I know everyone's looking forward to it.

"We see it as a really big game, a really big occasion and a real big chance to get a shock result. We can't hide away from that.

"Classing it as a free hit, I just don't like that terminology."

The Blades have a decision to make on whether Max Lowe will need surgery on his ankle ligaments, but he will certainly not be fit for Sunday.

"Lowey won't be fit but George (Baldock)'s back training, Oli Mac is back training so it's a bit of good news," said Heckingbottom.

Tom Davies is available having built up his fitness after joining as a free agent, but his minutes will be limited.

"He's a fit boy, he's been doing all the work, you can see that, but he's missed so much of the football you just get from training, never mind first-team games," said Heckingbottom of the midfielder released in the summer.

"That's the thing I'm wary of.

"It's two things – how that affects his body, I don't want him to risk injury, and secondly his performance.

"Each training day he's got better and better so I've no problem putting him on the pitch now. In terms of 90 minutes, I wouldn't be expecting 90 minutes out of Tom."

Lowe's absence potentially opens the door for summer signing Yasser Larouci to make his first Premier League start.

"I'm not saying he's playing but it's certainly an opportunity, were going to look at it," said Heckingbottom.

"I'm never going to give team news away and I try to be as vague as possible on purpose but Lowey's ruled out, there's no point hiding that.

"How long he's going to be yet, we don't know, and that will decide which avenue we go down. It's whether it's surgery or a bit more conservative. We'll just wait and see.

"Probably you saw a good insight into what Yasser's strengths are when he came on against Forest. We've seen enough o him and know enough of him to know he's athletically good enough for the Premier League.

"I like him when he plays on the front foot, when he's got an aggressive mindset, plays forward, runs forward and particularly when we regain the ball he'll drive forward off the ball as well to be that first outlet for the first pass on a counter-attack.

"I think all the fans and everyone saw that against Forest."