These are the two stars former Sheffield Wednesday defender Andy Hinchcliffe believes could flourish under Garry Monk

Steven Fletcher and Fernando Forestieri are two players set to flourish under the management style of new boss Garry Monk, according to former Sheffield Wednesday defender Andy Hinchcliffe.
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Sky Sports pundit Hinchliffe, who retired as a Wednesday player in 2002 after four injury-torn seasons with the club, also praised the appointment of Monk and suggested the 40-year-old has what it takes to lead a stride into the Championship play-off places.

Speaking to the Huddersfield Town club website ahead of Sunday’s Yorkshire derby, Hinchcliffe said: “You look at the likes of Steven Fletcher and Fernando Forestieri – I’ve always looked at Forestieri as a game changer, if he can be incorporated into a solid team, he could be really effective. It’s a shame that his ban was upheld as he’ll miss the weekend’s game.

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“I look back to when I was at Wednesday when we had the likes of Paulo Di Canio and Benito Carbone, those two won us games and I’m not saying Forestieri is as good as those two, but he is someone who is different and can light up a game.”They’ll have to win games as a team, but I think there’ll be a number of individuals who will work well under Garry’s system, he’s very ‘hands-on’ and I think the players will look at what he’s done in the past and believe they can benefit from working under him.”

Sunday will be the first of six matches Forestieri will miss as part of an FA ban for using racist language in a pre-season friendly last summer.

It will also see Monk take to an Owls dugout for the first time opposite Huddersfield’s new management team of Danny and Nicky Cowley, who were widely linked with the Wednesday role before Monk’s unveiling last week.

The former Swansea and Birmingham manager refused to be drawn on what style of play he will employ at Hillsborough, speaking about the need for versatility when taking on a new squad.

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Hinchcliffe said Sunday will give fans of both clubs a hint at what to expect going forward.

Andy Hinchliffe made 86 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday from 1998-2002.Andy Hinchliffe made 86 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday from 1998-2002.
Andy Hinchliffe made 86 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday from 1998-2002.

He said: “The first thing the fans will want to know is how both managers are going to get their teams playing, but it’s difficult to say because they won’t have had a lot of time to work with their respective squads.

“I think we’ll maybe get an insight into what both managers want to do going forward both selection and tactical wise. It’ll be a tough game to call, but the real interest for me will be the five or six games after that because it’s when we’ll get a real flavour for what these sides can do this season.

“I see it being a high tempo game with both sides looking to put a marker down for the season – it’s exactly what you want from a derby game like this.”

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Describing Monk as a ‘positive appointment’, the former England defender said: “What he’ll have to do is assess the squad, look at the strengths and see what is the best way to play with this group of players,

“He did a similar job at Birmingham; he had a look at the squad and played in a way that suited the group of players that were there at the time.

“He’s got more choices at Wednesday so he can perhaps be a bit more expansive, but he’ll have to look at how they’ve played within the formations Lee Bullen has used and really go from there but I’m sure he’ll quickly work out the best way to go about it.”