The innocuous -looking injury that has affected Sheffield United and Leeds United's transfer plans

At the time the main concern was the disruption to a well-drilled defence that had kept the treble-winners to only a couple of innocuous Erling Haaland headers. That proved well-founded, with replacement Yasser Larouci lapsing in the 89th minute and allowing Kyle Walker to beat him to a ball he was trying to shepherd over the byline and set up Rodri's winner.

But immediately after the game there was no indication as to the seriousness of Osborn's groin problem, only revealed when it was scanned.

A clearer diagnosis is expected when Osborn visits a specialist in London on Thursday, but it has left his club feeling vulnerable, and caused them to move quickly for one of the players who had moved up Leeds’ shopping list that weekend.

Osborn had started in three different positions in the opening three matches – at inside-left, then right wing-back, then left wing-back. It is in the latter of the three that the Blades felt most exposed.

First-choice Rhys Norrington-Davies has not played since October with the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the World Cup and concrete timescales on his return have not been forthcoming.

With Max Lowe picking up a serious early-season injury, that left Larouci – signed in the "bargain bucket" part of the Blades' window before they sold Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge – to cover the left side of defence.

So the club turned quickly to out-of-favour Leicester City left-back Luke Thomas, who became a priority signing for Leeds when Sam Bryam picked up an injury at Ipswich Town the previous day.

Leeds, who were looking for a left-back before Byram’s injury, had always been conscious that the Foxes might be reluctant to loan the 22-year-old to a potential promotion rival, so had looked at Plan Bs such as their former player Charlie Taylor, now at Burnley.

They will now have to push on with one of those alternatives with Thomas completing his move on Thursday, as well as looking to add to their midfield.

But whilst Thomas’ arrival solves one problem for the Blades, it causes another.

With money tight with the club for sale, the Blades had hoped to make the maximum two loan signings from English football, but one of those slots will now be taken.

They had been targeting Manchester City midfielder James McAtee and Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri amongst others, but loaning both will not now be possible. It might be that Cole Stockton's expected move from City to Chelsea makes them less willing to part with McAtee, who starred on a season-long loan at Bramall Lane, anyway.

With McAtee's club-mate Tommy Doyle, who was also on loan at Sheffield United last season, a possibility as a permanent signing, assistant manager Stuart McCall floated the possibility that two further signings could follow Thomas in the final hours of the transfer window.

"We have lost two of our better players from the last couple of seasons and I would like to think there would be no more outgoings other than young kids," he said following on Wednesday night. "We are still working really hard behind the scenes to bring in one, two possible three new faces."

Osborn's injury has been very consequential indeed.