Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk says he allowed centre back Jordan Thorniley to leave the club, because of the other options he has in that area of the pitch.

It was announced on New Year's Day that Thorniley - whose only appearances for Wednesday this season had come in the Carabao Cup - had joined Blackpool on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Speaking after his side's 1-0 defeat to Hull City that same day, Monk was asked about the decision to allow the 23-year-old to leave for Bloomfield Road, with the Wednesday boss telling the Sheffield Star: "In terms of that area, we have a lot of competition and numbers.

"I think it (the deal) was good for both parties."

Indeed, it seems Thorniley has joined the Seasiders with the best wishes of all of those at Hillsborough, as Monk continued: "Jordan has been fantastic. He has been a real pleasure to work with but he is at the stage where he needs to go and play regular first-team football. He wasn't going to get that here.

"Good luck to him, he is a really good kid and I'm sure he is going to do very well there.

"That area is really strong in terms of numbers and that is the reason why we let it happen."

In total, Thorniley made 35 appearances in all competitions for the Owls after joining the club following his release by Premier League side Everton in the summer of 2016.

The Verdict

I think this is probably a sensible decision by Monk and Wednesday.

With the likes of Tom Lees, Julian Borner, Dominic Iorfa and David Bates all offering the Owls plenty of options in the centre of defence, it was always going to be hard for Thorniley to force his way back into the side at any time soon.

This move therefore gives Thorniley the opportunity to get the game time he needs as he approaches the peak years of his career, while providing Wednesday with some extra funds to potentially reinvest in their own squad over the coming weeks, meaning this is a deal that looks as though it could suit everyone involved.