Steve Bruce was not with the Sheffield Wednesday squad as they took on Northampton Town in a friendly this evening.

There has been real uncertainty surrounding the future of the 58-year-old with Premier League Newcastle United hoping to appoint him as the successor to Rafa Benitez.

That seemed a formality after several media outlets, including the BBC, reported that Bruce had resigned from his position at Hillsborough yesterday.

However, there still has not been any official confirmation from the club on the situation. It is the same with the Magpies who are in pre-season action tomorrow themselves without a manager.

But, the Sky Sports Transfer Centre (18:07) stated that the experienced former Aston Villa chief was not with the Owls as they went to take on the Cobblers tonight.

With the Championship season under three weeks away it has left Wednesday in a very difficult position and there was more confusion this afternoon after reports from France stated that former Lyon boss Bruno Genesio was about to land the Newcastle job.

The Verdict

This is a very messy situation and you have to feel sorry for Wednesday as they have been put in this position by Bruce even though he is only joined earlier this year.

Despite that, they need to resolve it one way or the other and the lack of talk from the club in the past day or so has been strange.

It does seem a matter of time before he is appointed as the Newcastle job and the Owls are right to hold out for the money they will be owed.

Replacements need to be lined up though as the new season is fast approaching and this chaos isn't going to help at all.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.