Sheffield Wednesday are starting to show promising signs in the second-half of the season, and Steve Bruce will be hoping he can help his side up the Championship table. 

The newly appointed Owls boss has got a tough job on his hands to keep all of the players he has at his disposal happy this season though.

Competition for places is high in the Sheffield Wednesday squad and none more so, than in the striking department.

Steven Fletcher has been first-choice striker for the majority of this season, which will certainly come as a surprise to one forward in particular, who can feel hard done by.

Lucas Joao has been Sheffield Wednesday's main outlet for goals this season, but hasn't been rewarded with many starts, which will surely be frustrating.

Joao has nine goals to his name, and when he does start, he is often being used as a makeshift winger or attacking-midfielder.

It's strange to see Steve Bruce opting to stick with Fletcher up-front, as he only has five league goals to his name, despite playing almost double the amount of league games as Joao has.

So, Joao will surely be questioning what more he can do for the Owls this season to convince Bruce to give him a start up-front in the loan striker role.

With the likes of Sam Winnall and Gary Hooper edging closer to a return to the first-team picture, competition for Joao is going to become even tougher.

Hooper in particular could challenge for a starting spot, and if Joao continues to be limited in his first-team starts for Sheffield Wednesday, then he could be linked with a move away from the club in the summer.

He's a versatile option to have for any team, and Steve Bruce wouldn't have anyone to blame but himself, if he was to depart in search of more regular game time.