Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk will assess whether Steven Fletcher is fit enough to feature for the Owls in their trip to Birmingham on Saturday.

Fletcher has been out injured with a knee injury he picked up during the Owls win against Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup at the start of last month, which has seen the striker miss Sheffield Wednesday’s last seven league games, during which time Monk’s side have only managed to win once.

The 32-year-old had been one of the Owls most important players throughout the first half of the campaign, with the striker managing to register 12 goals in 22 Championship appearances so far this season, and Monk’s side have suffered without his presence up front in the last few weeks.

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During his press conference ahead of the Owls trip to Birmingham on Saturday, Monk confirmed to Leon Wobschall that Fletcher has returned to first team training and that he will make a decision on whether to include him this weekend on Friday.

The verdict

Fletcher has clearly been a real loss for Monk’s side since he has been ruled out through injury over the last month or so, and the Owls have not had a similar goalscoring presence up front during the 32-year-old’s absence from the side.

That has seen the Owls only manage to register one goal in their last four league games, which is something they are going to have to solve if they are going to be able to get their season back on track and lift the ever mounting pressure on Monk.

Getting Fletcher back from injury is going to be a real lift for the Owls over the next few weeks, and if he can re-find the sort of form he showed earlier in the campaign, then he should have a major role in helping them get some form and momentum back before the end of the season.

Monk has brought in Connor Wickham to ease some of the goal scoring burden on the side, but the forward has not been able to perform to his best so far since his arrival in January, meaning Fletcher’s return is even more crucial in the coming weeks.