Sheffield Wednesday are boosted by the return of one star man to Middlewood Road this week.
Sheffield Wednesday headed into the international break at the perfect timing, having suffered back-to-back defeats to Leeds United and Ipswich Town.
The Owls’ brilliant form had placed them within a point of safety, but they desperately needed time to rest, recover and prepare for the final stretch.
That final stretch begins on Good Friday, as Sheffield Wednesday host Swansea City in the first of their last eight games of the campaign.
Danny Rohl‘s side have the opportunity to jump straight out of the relegation zone with a win, and a quality performance against the Welsh outfit could really set up their form for the remaining fixtures.
Wednesday really need as many key players available as possible, and already suffered a blow in the Ipswich defeat after it was confirmed that Barry Bannan and Ian Poveda had picked up injuries.
There was always a worry sending their players away for international duty as well, in case they returned injured or would be unavailable due to playing across the globe.
However, one international has now returned to Sheffield and has confirmed that they are fit to play this weekend.
Ike Ugbo was left out of Canada’s victory over Di’Shon Bernard’s Jamaica last week, but was in from the start as they beat Trinidad & Tobago days later, with the striker picking up an assist.
After asking if he was ready to face Swansea upon his return to Hillsborough, Ugbo told the club website: “Of course!
“I think that was in our thinking that I would come back fit but everything is fine and I’m ready for the weekend.
“It’s important to manage myself right during these busy times, a lot of travelling, a long flight but I was back in at the club yesterday, I’m doing my recovery work and I’ll be prepared for the big games ahead.
“The team are doing well, we have made progress, it’s in our hands to get the job done and we’ll carry on and look forward to Friday.”
Ike Ugbo can be a hero
Sheffield Wednesday’s attack has looked so much more deadly since Ike Ugbo and Ian Poveda arrived in January, but their hopes of staying up would have taken a big hit if the Canadian had managed to pick up an injury last week, with his teammate already sidelined.
Ugbo hasn’t scored in Wednesday’s last three games, but his chances against two of the Championship’s top teams (Ipswich and Leeds) were very limited and you would hope he would have a lot more luck against Swansea.
Like the rest of the first-team squad, the 25-year-old has to be consistently at his best for the final eight games as Rohl’s side look to stay in the second tier.
Ugbo could prove to be a real hero at the club if he can contribute further to the season, having already played a huge part in dragging them closer to safety in recent months.
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