Ex-Manchester United man Di’shon Bernard’s journey at Sheffield Wednesday detailed after promising debut

The centre-half signed for the Owls last week and came into the starting line-up for their Carabao Cup edge-out of Stockport County, registering 15 ball recoveries and four interceptions at the heart of the backline alongside a 91% success rate across 81 passes.

The performance drew encouragement from the Wednesday fan base. His manager was impressed, making clear there is plenty to come from the youngster as he gets accostomed to the club’s methods in the coming weeks.

“Di’shon has been working with us only for a few days,” Xisco said. “He is a very good character, he is always the same, he works hard.

“We have good potential, we have young guys, we have experience, we have capacity, we have strength in the duels. We have good things in the backline and Di’shon is one of the options for us.

“We need to help him with the education, to give a better idea of what we want in terms of tactics and to get him in-line with the guys we have been working with for five weeks. I am sure that when he gets to there [five weeks more work] the situation will be better.”

Although only 22, Bernard has a growing body of experience in the EFL having enjoyed loan stints with Salford City, Hull City and Portsmouth.

Coming in from that experience and having been product of the feted Old Trafford academy will stand him in good stead for the challenges ahead, Xisco continued, making a wider point about the young players already stationed at S6.

“He has come in from the academy at Manchester United and he has come in ready for different situations,” he said. “Right now we have to change him for our model and the system that we want to play.

“But I think we have for example Adam [Alimi-Adetoro] in our second team, he is training with us and I think he has good capacities.

“Manchester United, sure, they’re working very, very, very well. But I can say is that we are working the same in that young guys now, it doesn’t matter which academy it is. The coaches have good ideas and good things for the guys.

“It’s not just him [Alimi-Adetoro], in all the players you have a good institute in our academy right now for the guys to improve and when they arrive in the first team they will be ready.”