Could forgotten youngster play big part in Sheffield Wednesday's League One revival?

It’s fair to say it didn’t quite go as well as any party would have hoped.
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Fisayo Dele-Bashiru was Sheffield Wednesday’s first signing of the last summer transfer window and arrived in a whirlwind of excitement around S6.

A talented youngster plucked from the conveyor belt of exciting footballers that is the academy system at Manchester City, the midfield man showed early promise and glimpses of raw ability in the opening matches of the 2020/21 season before he was pushed down the pecking order as the campaign rolled on.

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An eye-catching display in the opening match of the season, a 0-0 EFL Cup draw and penalty shootout win at Walsall, had supporters purring at what could follow.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has had a difficult start to life at Sheffield Wednesday.Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has had a difficult start to life at Sheffield Wednesday.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has had a difficult start to life at Sheffield Wednesday.

But he made just 13 senior appearances, only eight of those in the league, starting just twice outside of three EFL Cup outings.

From back-to-back substitute appearances under Neil Thompson in February, he injured his ankle after coming on the receiving end of a horror challenge from Brentford defender Henrik Dalsgaard. Having missed 10 matches he returned to the bench for the season run-in but didn’t play another minute.

Young, dynamic and offering an explosion of pace from midfield few other Wednesday players offer, it could be that the third tier provides Dele-Bashiru with the perfect platform to launch his senior career.

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The youngster only turned 20 in February and has time on his side with two seasons left on his Owls stay. In League One, it has been said that it is often the most athletic, dynamic sides that prosper – particularly when coming from midfield – and in the Germany-born man they have those attributes.

Darren Moore is understood to have taken a keen interest in the club’s younger players since the end of the season and extended a clear message to them ahead of their return to pre-season; that they will get every chance to impress.

Moore said last week: “It's getting their mindset right and adding to their physical attributes that they have.

“It is merging the two together aided with consistency would give them the opportunity to play in our first-team.

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“There have been many occasions already in my managerial career where I have put young players in because I feel it's right.”

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