Why Nathaniel Chalobah was not in Sheffield Wednesday squad vs Cardiff despite arriving at Hillsborough

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Sheffield Wednesday played out a 1-1 draw at home to Cardiff City on Saturday lunchtime, but one Owls player was left out of the matchday squad.

Looking to get back to winning ways after the Steel City derby defeat before the international break, Sheffield Wednesday would have fancied their chances against a Cardiff side sitting in 20th place in the table before the game.

However, despite dominating possession and creating plenty of chances, Danny Rohl’s side could only come away from the game with a point.

Rohl has been criticised for one decision during the Cardiff game, but the Sheffield Wednesday manager also made one big call before kick-off that affected Nathaniel Chalobah.

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Svante Ingelsson fitness check cost Chalobah his spot

Chalobah stepped up his recovery last week by playing for the Under-21 team, and was then spotted at Hillsborough prior to kick-off, sparking speculation he might be in the matchday squad for the first time this season.

However, it wasn’t to be for the midfielder, and Rohl has told The Star that it’s all down to Svante Ingelsson proving his own fitness just in time.

“It was a good week for both of them. Nathaniel was also close to being in the squad today,” Rohl said. “In training yesterday Svante got a knock that made it not clear if he’d be ready for the bench, so I brought Nath as well.”

However, it is now only a matter of time before Chalobah takes the next step on his comeback trail. Rohl added: “They need a little of training, they’ve been out for a long time, and that’s what I have to do now. The games will come and we need everyone – they have to be ready.”

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Nathaniel Chalobah could make a huge difference for Sheffield Wednesday

It will be very interesting to see what Nathaniel Chalobah can do for the Owls. He’s a player who has a lot of experience at this level, and could really add something new to Rohl’s team.

The midfield pairing of Shea Charles and Barry Bannan is clearly a very strong one for Wednesday right now. Still, having someone like Chalobah on hand, with intelligence and composure, might be the key to the Owls grinding out results against tough opposition, something they have really struggled with this season.

One would imagine Chalobah’s return date is not far away now, and the next five games for Sheffield Wednesday are all big opportunities to get positive results against teams around them.

With Chalobah being so close to the squad for the weekend, it can only be a matter of time before he is deployed. The Hull City game in midweek might be just too soon, but he can definitely target the Derby game next weekend as a match he could be involved in.