Sheffield Wednesday striker Michael Smith says he is looking forward to reuniting with Derby County manager Paul Warne then the two sides face off on Saturday afternoon.

Smith joined the Owls back in the summer transfer window, following a four-and-a-half-year spell with Rotherham in which he scored 61 goals in 210 games for the Millers.

The striker spent the whole of that time with Rotherham being managed by Warne, who himself left the New York Stadium to take charge of Derby earlier this season.

As a result, the two are now set to be reunited on opposite sides when Wednesday and Derby meet at Pride Park this weekend.

Now it seems as though Smith is keen to meet his former manager on Saturday, but that will not stop him sharing his insights on Warne's tactical approach with Wednesday boss Darren Moore.

Speaking about the prospect of coming up against his former manager, Smith told the Sheffield Star: “I’m looking forward to it.

“When he got the job I dropped him a text and we get on well – I get on really well with all of his staff to be fair. 

“I wish them all the best down there apart from when we play them, obviously. I’m sure it’ll be a good game.

“The thing is, I know them inside out and they know me inside out as well, so I’ll be letting the manager know here if there are things I can pass on, some of the tactics and things they like to do and go about things!”

Smith and Wednesday go into that game third in the League One table, one point adrift of the automatic promotion places, while Warne's Derby side are eighth, 11 points behind the Owls.

The Verdict

You can't blame Smith for relishing the chance to reunite with Warne this weekend.

The pair enjoyed a decent amount of success during their time together with Rotherham, so you can certainly understand why they do still seem to have a good relationship with each other.

That though, will surely go out of the window for a couple of hours on Saturday, given what is at stake for both sides in the promotion race.

Indeed, both will surely be using their knowledge of each other to get something of an advantage here, which will make it intriguing to see just who comes out on top.