Darren Moore has revealed that Sheffield Wednesday's Sylla Sow missed the friendly defeat at Wigan through illness, despite reports linking him with a move away.

The forward endured a tough campaign for the Owls last time out, as he managed just two goals in 13 appearances for the Owls and failed to establish himself as a regular.

So, it was perhaps no surprise to see reports from the Netherlands claim that Sow is a target for second division outfit De Graafschap, which came after the 25-year-old was not involved in the 4-1 loss against the Latics.

However, speaking to the Sheffield Star, Moore explained why Sow didn't feature as he cooled talk of an imminent exit.

"He’s here and he’s still with us. He reported in sick this morning (Saturday), so we hope that after the weekend he’s OK, that it’s a 24 or 48 hour bug and he’s ready to go again on Monday morning. He’ll pick things back up with us on Monday."

The same report does claim Wednesday will be open to moving the player on during the window.

The verdict

This could be Moore playing things down in the aftermath of a poor result but these comments clearly suggest that nothing is imminent.

Nevertheless, you would expect Sow to move on in the coming weeks and in truth it would be what's needed for all parties as he isn't going to get into the first XI at Hillsborough with the quality ahead of him in the pecking order.

So, a fresh start would suit the player as well, as well as enabling Moore to have more flexibility in terms of bringing new faces in.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.