Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl has a midfield conundrum for the game against Preston North End on Saturday, with Barry Bannan unavailable.
Barry Bannan picked up a fifth yellow card of the season in the last outing against Derby County.
There was confusion over Bannan’s Sheffield Wednesday suspension, but it’s since been cleared up: he is suspended for the game against Preston at Hillsborough on Saturday.
Bannan is certainly going to be hard to replace. Danny Rohl has no direct replacement for the Owls skipper, but he certainly has a few midfield options who can step into the XI.
On Thursday, Rohl spoke to the press, where he was inevitably asked about Bannan and how he might cope without the 35-year-old on Saturday.
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Danny Rohl discusses Nathanial Chalobah debut, makes midfield hint ahead of Preston
Nathanial Chalobah made his Sheffield Wednesday debut against Derby County, coming off the bench in the second half and looking good.
He made some nice passes and contributions in the game. But whether or not he starts against Preston remains to be seen, with Chalobah having been injured for several weeks this season.
Rohl said of Chalobah’s debut: “For two or three minutes, he needed a little bit. Maybe a little bit rusty.”
Then speaking about how Sheffield Wednesday might line up without Bannan, Rohl added: “Let’s see now if he’s ready for starter [Chalobah].
“I think this is also a difference between come in for the last 20 minutes, or start a game.
“But I think I have still some good options. I think Svante [Ingelsson], Liam [Palmer] can play this [role], Nath of course. Or we play just with a single six.”
Sheffield Wednesday stars buzzing for Nathaniel Chalobah after debut
Chalobah suffered a muscle injury against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season, after nursing a previous injury following his free transfer in the summer.
There’s been a lot of excitement about the former England man making his Owls debut, and now after seeing him in action, there’s hope that he can become a really useful player.
After making his debut against Derby, several Sheffield Wednesday players sent messages to Chalobah, showing how much they support and rate him.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see if he starts on Saturday. But given his season so far, it seems unlikely.
Per Rohl’s comments, it seems as though one of Ingelsson or Palmer will come in, with Chalobah maybe featuring off the bench.