Gary Hooper was among the notable absentees as a young Sheffield Wednesday Under-23s side lost 3-1 at Ipswich Town on Tuesday.
Hooper has been stepping up his fitness in recent weeks, having returned to first-team training after more than a year sidelined.
The 31-year-old played in the 23s’ 5-1 win against Crystal Palace at the start of the month, and played and scored as a Wednesday XI beat Scunthorpe by the same scoreline in a behind-closed-doors friendly last week.
But Owls fans needn’t be alarmed by his absence at Ipswich, with Steve Bruce offering the following injury update via The Star earlier.
It’s a big couple of days. (Steven) Fletcher is a bit of a worry and a concern, he’s the main concern that we have got,” explained the Sheffield Wednesday manager.
“(Fernando) Forestieri will be training tomorrow and will step up training – same with (Lucas) Joao and the same with Hooper. Hopefully there’s a bit of an upsurge in that but there’s a long way to go yet until he’s physically ready.”
Hooper’s contract expires at the end of June, and he’ll be keen to play a part in Wednesday’s final eight (and a potential further three) fixtures.