Gabby Agbonlahor says he ‘hated football’ during horrific Sheffield Wednesday loan

The ex-Aston Villa man spent a short period on loan with the Owls back in 2005, playing eight games in the Championship during which he didn’t manage to find the back of the net.

Agbonlahor went on to have a decent career in the Premier League, and his goal haul between 2007/08 and 2009/10 even earned him a handful of England appearances. He retired in 2019 as the Villans’ record goalscorer in the Premier League.

But before that he endured a couple of tough loan spells with Watford and Wednesday, and in a post on his Instagram page he explained that he and another loanee, Chris Eagles, got a bit of stick from old Owls favourite, Glenn Whelan.

In a caption this week he said, “What a throwback to my horrific loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday where I hated football aged 19! Glenn Whelan hammering me and Chris Eagles daily… Proof that some loans at a young age don’t always work out! Never give up.”

Agbonlahor may not have enjoyed his time at Hillsborough, but it will certainly have helped play a part in his growth as a footballer in some way, with the former attacker going on to play over 400 professional games, 322 of which came in the top-flight of English football.

The 35-year-old is now working as a pundit on talkSPORT following his decision to retire a few years ago.

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