Sheffield Wednesday will assess the fitness of defender Liam Palmer ahead of Wednesday night's EFL Cup game at League One side Rotherham United, interim manager Lee Bullen has confirmed.

Palmer has missed the 1-0 victory over Luton Town and 2-1 defeat to Preston in the Owls' two most recent Championship games due to a back problem, but could return for the trip to the New York Stadium in the second round of the Cup on Wednesday.

Providing an update on the situation of the left-back, Bullen was quoted by The Star as saying: "Liam came out of training (on Friday) which was unfortunate.

"We will assess him up to the Rotherham game. It will be a day by day thing."

In the absence of Palmer, Morgan Fox has stepped into the left-back role, despite the fact that the 25-year-old is expected to leave to join League One Sunderland, once Palmer has completed his return from injury.

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Wednesday secured their place in their second round of the Cup without even having to play a game, after first-round opponents Bury were expelled from the competition, due to the ongoing financial problems at the League One outfit preventing them from fulfiling the fixture.

The Verdict

It feels like it will be a welcome boost for everyone if Palmer is able to return to action on Wednesday.

The left-back has been a key figure for Wednesday in recent years, and at the start of this one, so to have him back in contention will surely help Wednesday to push on from a start to the season that appears to have shown plenty of promise.

With Wednesday night offering Palmer the chance to get back to match fitness in the less risky environment of the cup competitions, you imagine Bullen will be keen to get the defender back on the pitch if it is possible to do so.

An interesting subplot to that is that it appears to present the opportunity for Fox to move closer to completing his move to Sunderland before Monday's transfer deadline for League One clubs, provided Palmer can prove his fitness against Rotherham.