Sheffield Wednesday boss Xisco Munoz says Barry Bannan was carrying an ankle injury before yesterday’s defeat v Hull City.
Sheffield Wednesday lost 4-2 at Hull City in the Championship yesterday. It was a poor performance from the Owls who had initially taken the lead through Juan Delgado in the first half, with Michael Smith scoring a second consolation goal in second half injury time.
Club captain Bannan only played the first half of the game – he had played 90 minutes in both the Southampton and Stockport County games, with the 33-year-old picking up an ankle injury in the latter.
But after yesterday’s game, Munoz revealed that Bannan had had injections in his ankle so that he could play a part in the Hull City match, saying:
“He was injured before the game. He has a problem in his ankle and all I can say is thank you for making his compromise for the team because he put anaesthetic in his ankle in order to play today.
“Unfortunately it showed that he could only play for 45 minutes. After we needed to change him because he told me he couldn’t play any more because of the situation.
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“He picked it up in the cup game. We tried to improve it. I would like to thank everybody in the medical team because they tried to give the special work for the players that needed recovery and Barry also.”
Bannan is of course a Wednesday favourite, having been with the club since 2015, racking up more than 350 total appearances to date.
He’s stayed with the club through thick and thin and he’s been a key player for every manager in that time, with former Wednesday boss Darren Moore hailing Bannan as a ‘very gifted’ player during last season.
A worrying injury for Bannan…
Things are looking pretty bleak for Wednesday right now, and if Munoz has a spell without his star player and club captain then things could get even more troubling.
Bannan remains a player with bags of quality and his experience is going to be crucial for the club this season.
Munoz will of course be hoping that Bannan’s injury isn’t a serious one, but it could be better to give the midfielder a rest rather than forcing him through 45 minutes of however many games.
Sheffield Wednesday return to action v Preston North End next weekend, but as per Munoz’s comments, it remains to be seen whether or not Bannan features in that one.