The Jamie Vardy to Sheffield Wednesday saga reared its head again this summer - though the Owls are doing fine without him.

A former Sheffield Wednesday player has offered his view on the Owls’ successful start to the season - and the past prospect of Jamie Vardy having returned to the club this summer.

Wednesday have jumped out of the difficulties of last season admirably, collecting four wins from their opening six League One matches to sit top of the table. A goalless draw against Wigan Athletic extended their unbeaten to run to four. Many expected a slower start to life in the third tier given the vast squad turnaround and the scale of the task required to bounce back from a previous campaign that saw them win just twice.

Aiden McGeady was a part of the squad that qualified for the Championship play-offs in 2016 and has been impressed by what they’ve achieved in these early stages so far. Like many, the 92-cap Republic of Ireland international sees Wednesday as a club that should not be operating in the third tier given the size and passion of its fanbase.

“Sheffield Wednesday had to suck it up last season and deal with knowing that they were going to go down,” McGeady said. “But this season, they look to have regrouped and look to have recruited well for that league.

“I think they will go back up. They always want to see big clubs like Sheffield Wednesday to be in the Championship, if not the Premier League, because they are that big a club. The fans have had a lot of dark times in recent years, probably quite similar to Sunderland when I was there to be honest with you as well. The fans have had to contend with a lot.

“I think I could see them going back up and it would be nice for them to go back up because they're too big a club to be down there. For the last 15 years, Sheffield Wednesday have spent the majority of their time yo-yoing between the Championship and League One. And it's not a club that should be in League One.”

Links with Vardy were discussed among the fanbase all summer and were explored by the club, though financial restrictions proved too difficult in terms of getting a workable deal across. The veteran forward signed with Championship outfit Burnley earlier this month. Speaking via BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest football odds, McGeady offered his view on what would have been a romantic return to South Yorkshire for the former England striker.

“It would have been nice, but I think Vardy wants to play at as high a level as he can for as long as he can,” he said. “When Burnley came in, Burnley are obviously a step up from Sheffield Wednesday.

“If it was me, it would have been a bit of a fairytale, a bit romantic to go back there and play for the team he supported. It would have been nice to get the club promoted and then playing in the Championship again and playing for the club you supported as a boy. But I suppose money talks doesn't it as well, maybe there is more to it of course, but that’s the call he made.”