Sheffield United scapegoat justifies big Luton selection call as brilliant stat highlights his importance

When the clock struck two o'clock on Saturday afternoon and Sheffield United fans scrambled to discover the team news for their crunch clash at Luton Town, it was one man's name that dominated the replies on the social media cesspit. Out of respect for Ben Osborn they won't be repeated here, but it's fair to say his inclusion was not universally popular.

How well those disrespectful replies aged when, a few hours later, the midfielder capped a good individual performance with a key pass for Vini Souza to put the gloss on a battling victory that few would have predicted with any sort of certainty. It was vindication of a brave selection call from boss Chris Wilder, a week after watching a pedestrian performance from his side punished against a ruthless Aston Villa.

Pedestrian is one accusation that could never be levelled at Osborn. By his own admission he lacks the game-changing ability of, say, teammate James McAtee but football is made up of more than just invention and few in the United squad can match Osborn for industry. Much of the pre-match narrative centered around Ross Barkley but the England Euros hopeful barely had a kick against United's midfielders, with Osborn buzzing and harrying around him all afternoon.

It was just Osborn's fourth league start of a season of frustration on a personal and collective level, with injury disrupting his availability and the emergence of Andre Brooks pushing him further down the pecking order. But it came as no surprise to the United dressing room to see Osborn step in and deliver with the minimum of fuss, as one of those ultimate professionals whose importance cannot be easily quantified in metrics or stats.

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But how about this one, as curated and shared by Blades fan Jane Stacey on Twitter? With Osborn on the pitch this season, United's Premier League goal difference is +1. Without him? Minus 39. It's admittedly not the most robust methodology, owing to his limited minutes, but it certainly at least hints at his importance to the collective cause.

After the Luton game Wilder explained his reasoning for selecting Osborn ahead of Brooks, and for giving goalscorer Cameron Archer the nod over fellow youngster Will Osula. "The two young kids have been outstanding and they're learning in the Premier League," said Wilder. "It was no slight on them, the selection we made and the decisions we made on Will and Andre. And on Auston [Trusty] as well.

Spot a jubilant Blade you know in our fan gallery from Luton victory

"But I have to pick a team that gives us the best opportunity at the right time and so we went down the road of a system we're all familiar with. Late on with Andros Townsend's left peg crossing the ball into the box, or a bit of magic off Barkley, you always fear that something could happen. But I don't think it was an incredible backs-against-the-wall performance. We broke it up, we tried to create and when we did, we took those chances."

As did Osborn, giving Wilder another welcome selection dilemma for this weekend's clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.