Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore says Jaden Brown was left out of the Owls' side for their 3-1 defeat to Oxford on Saturday to give him a rest after his recent efforts.

Brown joined the Owls in the summer transfer window following his release from Huddersfield Town at the end of last season.

The winger had since gone on to make six appearances in all competitions for Darren Moore's side this season, impressing with his commitment and ability on the pitch.

But despite that, Brown was an unused substitute as Wednesday were beaten by Oxford at Hillsborough, with QPR loanee Mide Shodipo replacing the 22-year-old in the side.

Now it seems as though that selection decision was made in order to give Brown a break after the work he has put in recently.

Explaining why Brown did not play against Oxford at the weekend, Moore was quoted by Yorkshire Live as saying: "Jaden put in a massive energy output in the week on the left hand side. You saw his huge, huge work rate on Tuesday.

"Because of that energy output, we brought Midy [Olamide Shodipo] in as that is where the squad is at. Jaden is fine. He was on the bench. He will be ready and available for the next game."

Following that defeat, Wednesday sit 12th in the Championship table, and are next in League One action when they host Bolton at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon.

The Verdict

This could actually be a sensible decision for Moore to have made with regards to Brown.

The winger has seemingly put in plenty of effort for Wednesday since his arrival at Hillsborough, becoming an important player for the Owls in the process.

As a result, it could make sense for Moore to leave him out for one game here, then he does not push himself too far and rule himself out for a longer period of time, which would be an even bigger blow for the Owls.

Indeed, Mide Shodipo is also a more than capable player at this level, so there ought not to have been too much of a risk involved for Wednesday by making this particular change in personnel.