Hard work pays off for in-form Sheffield Wednesday star Marco Matias

The 29-year-old is in a rich vein of form, having netted two goals in his last three Owls outings.

His superb strike in Saturday's memorable victory over Aston Villa took his goal tally to three for the season.

Matias has largely been deployed in the wide positions under Luhukay but the Dutchman opted to start the Portuguese frontman in a central role at Villa Park. Matias' industry, with and without the ball, was a feature throughout as Wednesday triumphed 2-1.

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Luhukay told The Star: "Marco is a player who works incredibly hard defensively and offensively. He works unbelievably hard.

"His goal (against Aston Villa) was very good and was important for him. He is a very important player for the team."

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Following his man of the match performance last weekend, Matias is expected to lead the line when the Owls welcome Championship leaders Leeds United to Hillsborough this Friday.

"I'm very happy with how Marco has played in the last few games and weeks," said Luhukay, who has Fernando Forestieri pushing for a first-team recall after completing a three-match suspension. "Sometimes he is not a player who comes into dangerous moments but he always tries to use his speed to get in behind defences.

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"Sometimes the ball is maybe too long for him or not hit with precision but Marco always runs with his quality.

"He gives the team speed in the offensive areas. We saw that in the Stoke game as well where he was important for the first goal. He is in very good shape and helps the team a lot."