The Blades will travel to Birmingham to open the brand new campaign with Beattie to be an absence. But Kevin Blackwell has admitted that he could return into the reckoning shortly.
A minor knee injury has ruled him out of the game against the Blues but Beattie will be back competing for his place in the next 4-6 weeks. Gaffer Kevin Blackwell said: "It is hard to hold him back at the moment, he is feeling good, training so hard and is ahead of schedule but we have to look after him.
"James' enthusiasm is tremendous. He was even wanting to play at Scunthorpe last Saturday and when I told him he couldn't he still turned up just to be in the party. And then he travelled to watch again at Bury on Tuesday night!
"Just having him around the dressing-room raring to go is a boost for everyone and I want him back fully fit as soon as possible. We are optimistic. Although the original lay-off was estimated at between six weeks and two and a half months, the way he is progressing suggests it could be six weeks."