Concern over injury to Sheffield Wednesday attacker – could face weeks out of action

Attacker Mallik Wilks has sat out of the last two matches with an aggravation in his thigh picked up late last week.

The August arrival from Hull City was beginning to show some of his best form in Wednesday colours having impressed off the bench against Plymouth Argyle and offering a helping of attacking promise in an otherwise underwhelming Owls FA Cup defeat at Fleetwood Town.

But left out of the matchday squad for the trip to Ipswich, Wilks is being assessed for a potential calf strain and though initial prognosis is positive, it looks likely he’ll be out for several weeks unless the injury is far less serious than that.

“It’s his calf,” a disappointed Wednesday boss Darren Moore told The Star when pressed for an update on Wilks’ injury. “We don’t know, it could be a strain, we don’t think it’s a pull.

“That’s the reason he’s come out. It’s a blow, the form he was showing at the time was excellent. But we’ll assess him again and see where he’s at. I spoke to him today [Tuesday] and he’s pain-free which is excellent, but we have to assess him again and just make sure that there’s no further damage in there.”

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Wilks is one of a handful of injury concerns at S6 at current, though a handful are expected back in the coming days as Wednesday look forward to welcoming MK Dons this weekend.

Defenders Jack Hunt and Dominic Iorfa are expected back from minor issues, while Lee Gregory could feature on his recovery from tonsillitis. Key midfield man George Byers suffered a suspected dead leg against Morecambe but could make a comeback.

The weight of worry sits on the case of Wilks, whose absence along with that of Gregory has left the Owls short of attacking options from the bench.

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Speaking honestly, Moore continued: “The concern would probably be Mallik. He seems upbeat and positive and reported that he didn’t feel that much affects in his body and that’s a positive sign.”