Garry Monk describes ‘conversations to be had’ with out-of-contract Sheffield Wednesday players

The Owls are set to take on Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough on June 20 and stepped up their preparations with an intra-club session at S6 yesterday.

Neither Steven Fletcher or Sam Winnall was pictured at yesterday’s session. Speaking to talkSPORT, Owls boss Garry Monk described a 'couple of niggles’ within the playing squad. It is unknown whether or why the pair were absent.

Concerns have been raised across the Championship over whether players coming to the end of their deals will agree to play on due to the risk of injury. Last month three Charlton Athletic players announced they would not be completing the season.

Asked about his soon-to-be out-of-contract players, Monk said: “At the end of the day you are contracted to that club.

“I've had nothing from them as of yet but now the games have been announced, there are conversations to be had and which I will be having with those players.

“It's about where their heads are going to be at. Some of them won't be receiving new contracts, some will and some are in talks.

“You need to gauge where their heads are at in terms of commitment towards what you need.

“To be on a football pitch, you need to be 100 per cent committed, you need to know that player will run through a brick wall for that team.”

Monk admitted he felt sympathy for any player uncomfortable with playing on but said, in his mind, it’s a matter of character and that a refusal to play could backfire on a player.

“It's a difficult situation,” he said. “As a manager, you know why they're doing it [refusing to play].

“Maybe that would put a doubt in your mind when going after that player. In recruitment, the main side of it is what he can bring to your team.

“But there's a big thing on the character side and you're looking for traits in players. But I know not everyone will think like that.”

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