Sheffield Wednesday star Akin Famewo is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but his manager, Danny Rohl, is doing everything he can to help the defender during his absence.
The 26-year-old had looked like he was finally finding his feet at Sheffield Wednesday, especially operating as part of a back three in Danny Rohl’s defence.
However, Akin Famewo’s season was brought to a halt just half an hour into the win over Portsmouth at the end of October when he pulled up with a muscle injury.
Rohl has previously confirmed Famewo’s injury is a ‘big’ one and the centre-half is expected to be out for months now. But, as he tackles the road to recovery, Famewo can rely on his manager to support him all the way.
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Danny Rohl knows Akin Famewo will come back strong
Rohl has been proactive in offering that support already for Famewo, and is leaning on his own experiences as a player to encourage the player through the difficult process.
Speaking to The Star, Rohl said: “I met him in my office. We spoke about his feeling and I tried to give him hope. Although I didn’t play at such a high level, I had a lot of injuries and I know what it means.
“He was in good shape and was performing well and that makes it harder, but he was very positive. He says he will come back stronger, he will fight and he will do everything.”
Famewo not only has the physical element of the injury to overcome, but Rohl insists it will also leave a lasting effect mentally, too.
“This injury takes time, you can never say how quick it goes and for the mindset with a muscle injury at the beginning you can be a little bit scared that it happens again,” he added.
“If it is a broken leg or something when it is fixed you start again and can keep going, but normally you worry [a muscle injury] can happen again. This is normal, but we will support him, I will support him… We will build him up, I trust my medical team. We will help him on the mental side.”
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Sheffield Wednesday are missing Akin Famewo
Rohl is known for his tactical fluidity and flexibility when it comes to formations, but it did appear the Owls had found their flow with the composition of three centre-backs at the heart of defence.
Since Famewo’s injury, Rohl reverted to the pairing of Di’Shon Bernard and Dominic Iorfa, before introducing Max Lowe into that equation and embracing the back three again, and things certainly look tighter at the back since that decision.
| Statistic (2024/25) | Akin Famewo | Max Lowe | Di’Shon Bernard | Dominic Iorfa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tackles won per 90 | 1.20 | 1.62 | 1.17 | 0.88 |
| Blocks per 90 | 0.85 | 1.77 | 1.38 | 0.66 |
| Interceptions per 90 | 2.77 | 1.72 | 1.17 | 1.03 |
| Clearances per 90 | 3.66 | 2.66 | 3.92 | 3.44 |
| Pass completion % | 76 | 72.4 | 84.8 | 82.6 |
But, there is no doubt that Famewo was thriving in the role before his injury, and the Owls will be a stronger unit when he does eventually return.
The left centre-back role is an area Rohl needed to add reinforcements to anyway, and that necessity has only been exacerbated by Famewo’s absence.