Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk has given his thoughts on returning to his old stomping ground when they take on Middlesbrough in the Championship.

But he has largely batted away any suggestion of his return providing a sub-plot to the occasion, instead choosing to emphasise that the team is at the forefront of his thinking.

“I said it before the Huddersfield game with all the talk there, it’s not about me, it’s about this team and helping the players achieve," he told his pre-match press conference, reported by the club's official website.

"Regardless of whether you’re facing a former club, former player, it’s always about the team.”

Monk managed Boro for 26 matches between the summer of 2017 up until two days before Christmas, receiving the sack with the team placed just outside the play-offs following their relegation from the Premier League.

Wednesday now, however, sit in ninth place with eight matches played, just two points off the play-off pace heading into this weekend's clash with Middlesbrough at the Riverside - four points ahead of his former side.

They will go into the match full of confidence too, with the club unbeaten since Garry Monk took charge of things at Hillsborough. Beating Huddersfield and drawing with Fulham.

The verdict

Of course Monk is not going to publicly make this about himself and having already faced Boro with Birmingham last season, it is unlikely that many hard feelings still remain.

That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a match that he will want to win more than others. Even if it is just a tiny bit more.

It is hard not to back Wednesday as well. Unsurprisingly, Monk has quickly galvanised the playing squad and appears to be getting the very best out of them.