Sheffield Wednesday’s academy players have been at the heart of the action in preseason so far.
The Owls have played out three friendlies so far this summer, picking up one win, one draw and a defeat.
Sheffield Wednesday earned themselves a comfortable win over Alfreton Town at the start of the month, before they were unsurprisingly thrashed by Champions League opponents RB Salzburg.
The team looked set for a second successive defeat when they went 2-0 down to Werder Bremen, but a dramatic change of personnel saw them claim a 2-2 draw by full-time.
While it has only been senior players that have found the back of the net so far, Danny Rohl has awarded a number of U21 players with their own chances to impress.
Pierce Charles was ‘superb‘ against Werder Bremen after returning from international duty with Northern Ireland, while Sean Fusire made a name for himself against the Germans.
The midfielder has been showered with praise this summer, with Josh Windass recently hailing him as ‘very intelligent’.
Sheffield Wednesday youngster impresses ahead of possible loan exit
Speaking to The Star, Windass said: “I love Sean, I’ve spoken highly of him for a good couple of years now,” Josh Windass told The Star in Zell am Ziller. “He’s played right back, today he played number six, and he can play both really well because he’s very intelligent.
“As a young boy he comes up and he works tirelessly, so I’ve got a lot of time for Sean and I really hope he goes on to do really well.”
Fusire has impressed for Wednesday in preseason so far, but Rohl has previously suggested that he could leave the club on loan.
When asked whether the 19-year-old could be given a chance next season, the head coach said: ”In my mind, we have five No.6s and usually the number five is a young player from the academy to give the space to improve him. Let’s see what we can do in the market.”
Sean Fusire & co deserve regular football next season
Rohl has tipped Wednesday to go in for another midfielder, and with the club likely needing to offload players before they bring anyone in, Fusire could be one of the ones on his way out.
The Owls are eager to push further up the table next term and have brought in more talent to do so, so it is not surprising that their younger players have been pushed further down the pecking order.
Given Fusire’s progress at Middlewood Road, it is important for him to pick up regular minutes now and most fans will accept his exit if it benefits his development.
If the likes of Fusire, Charles and Sam Reed can pick up minutes elsewhere next season then that could put Wednesday in a much more promising position next summer.
The future of Bailey Cadamarteri could also depend on the arrival of Ike Ugbo too, with the youngster also in need of time on the pitch if he is to reach his potential.