Xisco Munoz has explained the situation with Sheffield Wednesday midfielder George Byers. The star man was on the bench as the Owls beat Stockport in the Carabao Cup but he was an unused option among the substitutes.
It’s five months since Byers last played a competitive game for Wednesday. He hurt his hamstring in the game against Portsmouth back in March and that ultimately ended his 2022/23 campaign.
After working hard in pre-season, it was a shock not to see Byers in the Wednesday squad on Friday night. He suffered a setback apparently, although he was fit enough for a place on the bench on Tuesday night.
Now, Munoz has discussed the situation surrounding Byers in his latest press conference. He’s suggested that he was going to use him on Tuesday but the state of the game dictated otherwise.
The head coach told The Star: “George wasn’t 100 per cent before the last game. I was going to give him a little bit of time in this one – maybe 30-35 minutes because he’s ready – but I was thinking about Sean (Fusire) because I wanted to give more velocity to the side to try and get more fouls, win more free-kicks from one-on-ones because we needed more people in the last part.”
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Munoz has explained the situation surrounding Wednesday star Byers
It’s clear that Munoz isn’t going to be sentimental with any of his selection choices. Byers is a popular figure among the fan base and they want to see him back on the pitch soon.
Byers has a lot to offer this season. He’s a busy performer in the engine room for Wednesday and he definitely has something to offer at Hillsborough this season.
The player clearly has the backing of his manager. Ultimately, he did what he thought was best for the team the other night and it’s hard to argue with that.
Hopefully, Byers can be back on the pitch in the near future. The Owls would welcome his energy and tenacity and it will be interesting to see if he gets on the pitch at the weekend.