Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore has revealed that Sam Hutchinson could potentially make his return to action before the end of the year.

Hutchinson, who re-joined the Owls earlier this year following a brief spell in Cyprus with Pafos FC, initially made an encouraging start to the 2021/22 campaign as he featured in eight of their opening 11 league games.

However, the versatile Owls man has been forced to watch on from the sidelines since suffering an Achilles injury during the club's clash with Bolton Wanderers.

In Hutchinson's absence, Moore has opted to utilise Marvin Johnson at centre-back whilst Chey Dunkley, Liam Palmer and Ciaran Brennan recently featured in a back-three for Wednesday in their clash with Milton Keynes Dons on Tuesday.

Having sealed a 2-1 victory over Liam Manning's side in this fixture, Wednesday will now be looking to extend their current unbeaten run in League One to 10 games when they face Wycombe Wanderers tomorrow.

Ahead of this particular clash, Moore has offered an update on Hutchinson's current situation at Hillsborough.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as cited by Yorkshire Live) about when the 32-year-old could potentially return to action, the Owls boss said: "I am going to stay super positive and say it will be this year for Sam.

"The medical team are working extremely hard with him.

 

 

"We have to make sure he comes back and stays back.

"He's a top player for us and he's chomping at the bit to play."

The Verdict

When you consider that Hutchinson was able to produce a number of assured performances for Wednesday before suffering his injury, the news that he could feature again this year will be music to the ears of the club's supporters.

As well as recording a respectable average WhoScored match rating of 6.89 in League One during the current campaign, Hutchinson has made two interceptions per game whilst he also won 3.5 aerial duels per match.

Capable of playing in the heart of Wednesday's defence and as a central-midfielder, the former Chelsea man will be determined to help his side push on in League One when he is fit enough to return.

However, instead of rushing Hutchinson back into the fold, Moore ought to consider easing him back into action as it will minimise the risk of another injury setback.