Injury status of popular Sheffield Wednesday man put beyond doubt in wake of training photos

Man mountain centre-half Ben Heneghan has been out since an October win at Lincoln City, suffering an ACL issue that required surgery in what seemed at the time to be a fairly innocuous challenge.

It was confirmed in the weeks after the incident that the former AFC Wimbledon defender – a star performer for his new club to that point – was to miss the rest of the campaign.

Images published by the club over the last fortnight have shown Heneghan on the grass completing some low-level drills away from the rest of the squad, prompting a spike in optimism that he could be aiming for involvement before the season was out.

But that optimism is misplaced, confirmed Moore, who made clear the 29-year-old is going great guns in his recovery from such a serious issue, but that any notion of an early return remains off the table.

“It’s the rest of the season still,” Moore told The Star. “Look, he’s ahead of schedule and he’s doing really, really well. But he’s still out for the rest of the season.”

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Wednesday are keen to step up their hunt for defensive reinforcements over the next few days in the wake of not only Heneghan’s injury, but those of Michael Ihiekwe and Reece James – who are both set to miss the next few weeks.

Fan favourite free agent Michael Hector is currently trialling with the club.