New work permit rules brought in by the FA have scuppered Sheffield Wednesday's chances of signing former Leeds United midfielder Rudy Austin, and it means Austin will have to leave the UK, reports the Guardian.

Having been released by Leeds at the end of last season, a number of Championship teams were keen on the 30-year-old, but it appeared Sheffield Wednesday had won the race for his signature.

The Jamaican international was expected to be one of the highest paid players at his new club, but under the new rules a player’s country of origin has to be ranked in the world’s top 50.

Austin, who had spent three seasons at Leeds and became a fan favourite with his tireless performances, he turned down a £500,000 move to Wigan Athletic in January. As a free agent he will  now be forced to uproot his family as he no longer qualifies for a work permit under the FA’s new regulations.

Austin is renowned for his combative, hard-working style of play and he was excellent during his time at Elland Road, putting in a number of dedicated performances for the Yorkshire club over the past few seasons.

Austin’s agent, Darryl Powell spoke to the Guardian:“For Rudy this is very traumatic,”

“We had agreed a deal in principle with Sheffield Wednesday, who were going to make him one of their best paid players, if not the best and that was going to be on a three-year contract.

“Unfortunately the appeal process does not really work any more. If you spend in excess of £10m on fees and salary you can bypass it. But other than that there’s not much chance, even though he’s right at the top-end of the pay scale and would make such a good contribution to life in the UK.”

“His little boy, who is two, was born in England and Rudy and his wife want to make their home here. He was two years away from being naturalised but now he’ll have to leave the UK.”

Austin has been on international duty with Jamaica this summer, playing a key role in their run to Sunday’s Gold Cup final in Philadelphia, where they lost 3-1 to the seven-times winners, Mexico.

“He came back into England two days before his work permit and visa expires, which is midnight on Thursday,” Powell said.

“Under the new rules a player’s country of origin has to be in the top 50 in Fifa’s rankings over the last two years and Jamaica was in the top 75.

This will undoubtedly be a major blow to Austin's playing career as he has been an excellent stalwart for Leeds United over the years, and his tough-tackling style of play suited the demands of the Sky Bet Championship.

Leeds United fans..... What do you make of this news? Would you have Austin back at the club? Let us know your thoughts and opinions below!