Video: Fletcher's season over; Van Aken setback, Loovens ill ... '˜I've never known anything like it' says Sheffield Wednesday boss

The list of unavailable players was already substantial before he arrived five weeks ago, but since then either more have been added, or others who looked like returning have suffered setbacks.

Luhukay revealed in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Barnsley that Steven Fletcher’s season is over with the striker having suffered a knee injury.

The good news that Marco Matias had had his red card against Birmingham rescinded was cancelled out by the three weeks the forward will now miss after being injured in training on Sunday.

Then came the revelation that Glenn Loovens and Jacob Butterfield were ill and haven’t trained all week.

Finally, Joos van Aken was expected to make a return to the first team soon but his comeback has been delayed following a further scan on his hamstring injury this week.

The good news is Tom Lees should play for the U23s on Monday having been out since November.

Luhukay almost laughed as he went through the latest casualties in an astonishing list and the Dutchman says he has never known a situation like it in his career.

“No, not before,” he said. “This is extreme, that so many players from the beginning are not staying on the field and are in the medical situation.

“Sometimes you have three or four, maybe five and that’s as much but now here in the last six months its been very intensive but it is how it is, I cannot change that situation.”

Outside of those mentioned, Wednesday were already without Keiren Westwood, Gary Hooper, Almen Abdi, Kieran Lee and Barry Bannan and Fernando Forestieri.

However, Luhukay said that he will definitely not be bringing into the squad any free agents to help cope with the injury crisis.