Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl has tipped this 27-year-old to make his return to action in the New Year.
Sheffield Wednesday are back on track after their disastrous start to the season.
A comeback win over QPR last time out leaves the Owls now five points adrift, and with a growing sense of belief that they can beat the drop.
And Rohl will be boosted by the return of Momo Diaby in 2024.
The midfielder on loan from Portimonense hasn’t been seen since he made his debut vs Preston North End back in August.
He impressed, but a serous injury curtailed his debut and has kept him out since; he’s not currently registered with the squad, but Rohl has the chance to re-register the 27-year-old in the second half of the season.
Danny Rohl lays down challenge for Momo Diaby
Diaby now has to prove his worth to Rohl.
The Sheffield Wednesday midfield is quite packed and displacing anyone from the XI right now is going to be difficult.
But Rohl has been impressed with what he’s seen from Diaby in training and in U21s game, and speaking to The Star, the Wednesday boss revealed what the plan is with Diaby.
He said:
“He will train, he’s been with us, and play with the U21s in order to get minutes – and then in January I think he will be ready to come back. We’ll have to decide what is the best for him and what we can do in the next development steps.
“So far I’ve seen a player who is able to play in the centre of the field, he can carry the ball, has some good passes, and he can also have some good ball-winning situations. I’ve seen some good stuff until now.
“It’s about being ready to get into getting into a good shape, because my game is really intensive and especially in this league – with a lot of transition moments – you have to be ready for this tempo and speed. This is what we’re preparing him for, and then we’ll take a look how far he is.”
Do Sheffield Wednesday have a secret weapon in Diaby?
Sheffield Wednesday fans have been eagerly awaiting Diaby’s return to action.
Despite having barely featured for the club, he showed enough quality and fight in his debut to impress the watching Wednesday faithful, and for Rohl, Diaby could be like a new signing.
Like Rohl mentions above, he’s a well-rounded midfielder who could add some physicality to what is a very technical Wednesday midfield right now, and maybe give some competition and cover for Will Vaulks who’s taken on a very important role under Rohl.
And John Buckley’s recent injury blow could pave the way for Diaby to come into the side and claim his spot.
It’ll take some time for Diaby to not only get back to fitness but to get up to the fitness standard required to play in this high-energy Wednesday side, like Rohl says, but the German’s comments definitely suggest that Diaby is in his current thinking.
Sheffield Wednesday return to action vs Cardiff City at Hillsborough this weekend.