'Wilder was tight-lipped about Hamer future'

Sheffield United's game at VfL Bochum could be split into three parts. In the early exchanges, the home side capitalised on some sloppy play from United - on and off the ball - to create, and miss, guilt-edged chances. Michael Cooper made some good saves and big striker Philipp Hofmann really should have scored in a one-on-one situation. Eventually United settled down and the game played out in a typical pre-season style. By the end, the visitors took control and looked like they might score a couple of goals although the game ended goalless. A lot of the good work came from Gus Hamer. The 29-year-old has been heavily linked with a return to Coventry City and it makes sense all round. It's Premier League football, with Premier League money, for a club the player knows well. He's in the last year of his contract. United, if they don't anticipate being able to extend his deal, can cash in now rather than lose him for nothing in the future. Despite all the speculation, Hamer played the full 90 minutes against Bochum. This added to an appearance at a meet-and-greet with fans in the city centre the night before with the rest of the Blades squad. None of this means anything for the future and whether he will join Coventry. But he wouldn't be playing a full game against the 2 Bundesliga team if the framework for a transfer was done. Going back to his performance, there were flashes of quality to remind you why he was the Championship's top player the season before last. In particular his long range passes in the second half caught the eye. One picked out Callum O'Hare, who did brilliantly to control and shoot, only to be denied by Timo Horn in the home goal. After the game, Chris Wilder was fairly tight-lipped about Hamer's future when asked what the latest was. "Gus had a red-and-white shirt on today," Wilder said. "You've seen his actions, you've seen his attitude towards the game. "He's not come to me and said he doesn't want to play. There has been interest, of course. That's out there. But as far as I'm concerned, he's a Sheffield United player." The pursuit of Harry Souttar and Kalvin Phillips is continuing, with Wilder saying CEO Stephen Bettis is handling a possible deal for the Leicester City defender, whilst admitting he'd like to bring Phillips back. He also played down any chance of Femi Seriki going out on a 'loan-to-buy' arrangement, after a reported offer from Italian side Sassuolo. One of my lasting memories of this trip to Germany will be the press conference atmosphere after the game. In Germany, apparently, you put both managers together on a top table. Bochum's Uwe Rosler requested a quick press conference so he and Wilder could share a beer. The Blades boss joked it was a new one for him, adding with a smile - "I'm not sure this will take off in England… me with an opposition manager, trying to trade blows". It was different, that's for sure. It's the first time I've been tutted and sighed at from the press gallery. Multiple questions, it seems, are a no-no. The local journalists didn't seem happy and Bochum's head of media even thanked them for their patience after I'd finished.