While some of Sheffield Wednesday’s more senior players head off on international duty this week, it is one of the club’s young talents who has already made the headlines with his latest goalscoring exploits for his country.
Another international break is upon us, giving Danny Rohl and Sheffield Wednesday plenty of time to regroup and assess what went wrong in the Steel City derby defeat to Sheffield United at the weekend.
There are five Sheffield Wednesday players away on international duty over the next fortnight, at least among Rohl’s senior squad.
That’s not accounting for the academy players leaving S6 to represent their countries, and one of the club’s brightest talents has just given quite the account for himself when playing for his nation’s youth team.
While he has a long way to go before he is ready for regular first-team football, there’s a chance this prodigious talent may well have caught the eye of Danny Rohl now.
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Will Grainger bags hattrick for Wales Under-17s
Sheffield Wednesday teenager Will Grainger is away with the Wales Under-17 squad this week, and he’s already had an incredibly successful run out with the Red Dragons, bagging a hattrick in their recent win over San Marino Under-17s.
The 15-year-old forward has big expectations on his shoulder, and this latest goalscoring display will only get tongues wagging even more now.
Bearing in mind Grainger is playing up an age group at international level already, and is clearly thriving, it is surely only a matter of time before he makes another step up for both club and country.
Still, it is worth noting this hattrick did come against San Marino, whose senior side are ranked 210th in the FIFA world rankings. So, no disrespect to their young players, but this is hardly the most competitive fixture for Grainger and Wales.
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Sheffield Wednesday’s next exciting striker
The Owls already have a very talented and exciting young attacker in their ranks, of course, with Bailey Cadamarteri continuing his development right now out on on loan at Lincoln City.
The 19-year-old has bagged four goals in 15 games for the League One outfit, and his form has led to some Sheffield Wednesday fans demanding Cadamarteri be recalled to Rohl’s first-team.
That said, Rohl is pretty well-stocked in the forward areas right now, with the likes of Ike Ugbo, Michael Smith, and Jamal Lowe competing for one starting spot.
While there may not be a direct route into the team for Cadamarteri, or indeed Grainger, right now, the future is bright at Sheffield Wednesday. And, who knows, if Ugbo continues to misfire in front of goal, Rohl may look to his young prospects to freshen things up.
One would imagine that, if Rohl were to even consider Grainger for a first-team appearance this season, it would come in the FA Cup third round, depending on who the Owls draw, of course.