Sheffield Wednesday considering January loan move for ex-Manchester United striker
Sheffield Wednesday prospect Charlie McNeill could be set for a loan switch in January as Owls boss Danny Röhl plots the best route forward for the young striker’s development.
The 21-year-old forward, who signed in July after his time with Manchester United came to an end, has yet to make his Championship debut for the club despite playing an important role in this season’s Carabao Cup run. McNeill scored twice in three appearances in the Owls’ run to the fourth round with both goals coming against Championship colleagues Hull City.
He’s made the bench for league action only four times, however, with a shift in Wednesday’s playing style from the early stages of the season contributing to him being pushed a little further down the pecking order. His was a signing made with the future in mind and outings for the under-21s have been encouraging - though breaks between matches can be longer than might be preferred.
Asked about where McNeill’s development is at current, Wednesday boss Röhl told The Star last week: “In the last weeks he was sometimes in the squad, sometimes not and this is the conversation I had with Charlie, 'If you are in the squad, then it is your next small step, it means you trained good and I see this.' The other part is about who starts in front, it is about impact from my bench and what I need.
“Of course we are not 'happy, happy' at the moment, we want to ensure he gets more minutes. At the moment I can't guarantee this but in his development as a person I see good steps, I see that he works hard every day - it is not that he is too disappointed or negative, no. He is hard working.”
Looking forward, there seems an appetite to give McNeill the opportunity to head out on loan in January to gain playing minutes. Wednesday have a policy of only loaning out young players to clubs of the right fit and if the hotshot forward is to be leant out it seems likely it would have to be to a club with an agreeable playing style. Röhl said the move will also be dependent on how the squad shapes up while navigating a busy fixture card - and that McNeill should be ready for action with that in mind.
“I think we can look to January,” the German coach continued. “He is fit, he can play minutes. We will see what makes sense. We should not forget last year and the benches we had with a lot of injuries, you never know what can happen in the next few weeks. You never know. Charlie is ready and it could be a good thing for him and for me. I am not scared to put him in, I see he has quality and until this moment he has worked hard. When it comes to January we will sit together and make the right decision for everybody.”