Why Nathaniel Chalobah was substituted with contract question posed after stellar Sheffield Wednesday outing

A plan to give Nathaniel Chalobah his first full outing in Sheffield Wednesday colours was scuppered in their Saturday afternoon draw with Charlton Athletic - though not through an injury that is likely to prevent him from featuring in the final three matches of their long campaign.

Injuries have ravaged the Londoner’s Wednesday career but together with fellow returnee Max Lowe the one-cap England international has been a revelation in an Owls side that has drawn three games on the spin. Concerns were raised late on in the clash when he began to move uncomfortably and was eventually substituted beyond the final whistle - though Owls boss Henrik Pedersen told The Star it was only due to cramp.

“He is growing from game to game and you can see his match fitness is starting to come through,” Pedersen said. “You can see he is a big influence for our game. The goal was that he should play the full 90 minutes, but he got a cramp at the end. He came out with a smile on his face because he knows he is nearly there to play the full game.

“It makes me so happy to see that he can go again and again without a big challenge to his body. The balance is to play him because he is so good for us but not too play him so much that we cannot keep him fresh and fit.”

Chalobah has managed just 28 appearances for Wednesday across his two matches and is out of contract heading into what will need to be a major squad rebuild. The balance of such heavy injury concerns will be a factor in any decision over his future and asked whether his performances in recent outings have given the club food for thought, Pedersen said: “Nobody in the stadium has a doubt that he’s a good football player. We are waiting for the takeover and then we will speak with the players, but of course Nate is a good player. Of course he is.”