Former Sheffield Wednesday boss explains the importance of tying Steven Fletcher down to a new deal

Brian Laws, who spent three years in charge of Wednesday between 2006 and 2009, coached Fletcher at Burnley and is a regular on media duties at current Owls matches.

And he outlined the importance the Scot has to the side both on and off the pitch, describing a consummate professional.

“He’ll be in the gym because he knows he has to take the knocks, you can’t be a wimp,” Laws told The Athletic.

“He has to be in there building up his resilience for his body and he understands that.

“That will help him to stay in the game longer and without that armour of power, he would get even more injuries. He’s versatile, he understands the roles and he brings a bit of quality to the team.”

Fletcher is still on the comeback trail of a knee injury that saw him miss two months of the season at the turn of the year. It was an absence that coincided with a downturn in fortunes that finds Wednesday cut adrift from the promotion places in 15th position.

“He’s brave, he goes in for balls that he shouldn’t really and he puts his head where it hurts sometimes and he can have blood pouring out of him,” Laws said.

“It’s a secondary thing, not just the first thing that he is a striker and has to score goals; it’s what he brings to the team and his involvement and people benefiting from him being there and scoring goals. He has certainly brought a better balance to the team.

“This season he’s playing out of his skin and everything seems to be clicking. His first touch is excellent, his link-up play is good, he is reliable, he is a good focal point for the team and he has been banging in the goals.

“Of all the strikers that they have available to them, he has performed and that in itself surely justifies a contract, so for me, it’s a no-brainer.”