Sheffield Wednesday fans recently got their first glimpse of Ike Ugbo following his return to the club.
All summer long, Sheffield Wednesday have been trying to re-sign Ike Ugbo from Troyes following his impressive stint on loan in S6 last season.
Joining in January, Ugbo went on to score seven goals in 18 Championship outings for the Owls.
And last week, Sheffield Wednesday completed the £3million signing of Ugbo, making him their 10th signing of the summer so far.
During the Carabao Cup win vs Hull City in midweek, Ugbo made his debut as a permanent Owls player, coming off the bench to help see out the 2-1 win.
But Danny Rohl has suggested that it may be a while before we really see Ugbo in action, and it could be good news for few players in particular.
Danny Rohl reveals Ike Ugbo fitness timeline at Sheffield Wednesday
Ugbo had a long summer given the transfer speculation surrounding him.
And with Rohl’s Sheffield Wednesday style of play being faster and more intense this season, it’s going to take Ugbo a while to get up to speed with the rest of the players.
Speaking to The Star about when we might see Ugbo back in full swing, Rohl said: “For Ike now it is about getting minutes and getting fitter and fitter.
“We had a similar situation in January when he first arrived, he has trained, but he now has to come into the next level because he missed six weeks.”
Rohl added: “The next point is the international break and it will be like a small pre-season for him, four or five weeks work.”
Sheffield Wednesday trio will be rubbing their hands at latest Ike Ugbo update
Rohl has some good options in attack now, and with Ugbo seemingly out of the picture for a while longer, there’ll be plenty of players eager to impress.
Charlie McNeill scored twice against Hull but started out on the flank, with Michael Smith leading the line and looking impressive once again.
Then there’s Jamal Lowe who started against Plymouth, scored, and was then rested for the Hull City game, suggesting that he’s in contention to start vs Sunderland this weekend.
Josh Windass is obviously an option too, and a tried and tested one at that, though he looks more likely to don the no.10 role this season, whilst Bailey Cadamarteri looks set to leave on loan.
Those three players will be desperate to stake their claim in the coming weeks with Ugbo out of the picture; Ugbo is surely the starting striker when fit and available.
It’s a nice headache for Rohl to have, and having so many good attacking options to chose from is something that Sheffield Wednesday haven’t had in a while.
Who starts against Sunderland remains to be seen, and who eventually goes on to lead the line more often than not may be likewise.