Danny Rohl has told Mallik Wilks what he needs to do to earn a place in the Sheffield Wednesday squad now.
Mallik Wilks joined Sheffield Wednesday from Hull City in 2022 and went onto score his first goal the following month. However, the striker has since struggled to impress at Hillsborough.
Wilks hasn’t managed to score in the league since, while he did manage a further five assists in League One last season.
The 25-year-old was then left out of the The Owls’ squad all together for most of Xisco Munoz’s tenure, before he was eventually brought into the picture by Danny Rohl for the defeat against Birmingham City in November.
The German coach went onto heap praise on Wilks and claimed he had enjoyed his ‘best performance’ since joining the club, giving him plenty of hope for his future in Yorkshire.
However, the forward went onto pick up an injury that kept him out of action until New Year’s Day.
Wilks has only featured for 10 minutes in Sheffield Wednesday‘s opening two league games of 2024, but Rohl has now highlighted what he needs from him to earn his place back.
Speaking to The Star, Rohl said: “It’s good, hopefully he will be fit.
“The last time I spoke about his performance – in Birmingham – he got injured. Now it’s about being ready. He has to do everything to be in shape, then he can help us. You can see he has quality, he has good finishing, he can keep the ball and he’s good one against one, but it’s about being fit.
“We need fit guys, we need performances. You need to be able to run a lot, sprint a lot, in my game. When he’s doing this then I’m happy as a manager.”
Can Mallik Wilks force his way back into Danny Rohl’s plans?
Mallik Wilks has showed glimmers of quality since joining Sheffield Wednesday, and he must be impressing in training given Danny Rohl’s admiration of him.
However, the striker is surely going to have to do a lot to force his way back into the team now.
Bailey Cadamarteri has earned his spot as a regular in the Championship, while Ike Ugbo has recently joined from Troyes as another option.
Dejphon Chansiri is still said to be eager to spend big money on a proven goalscorer, surely leaving Wilks far down the pecking order.
With his contract set to expire in the summer, it seems unlikely that he will be able to turn things around so drastically that he earns himself an extension.