Sheffield Wednesday could make u-turn on January defender decision and save a headache

The Owls have Ben Heneghan and Michael Ihiekwe sat out injured, with a degree of uncertainty hanging over whether Cardiff City defender Mark McGuinness could be recalled to South Wales – as has been their intention – after a transfer embargo was lifted from the club on Tuesday evening.

An expected return date for Ihiekwe has not been made public other than he will be back ‘sometime in the new year’. It is not known where he has got to in his recovery.

The likes of Liam Palmer and Reece James, both full-backs for the majority of their careers, have shuffled into the back three with huge success.

And though Moore had admitted the club would be looking to bring a new defender into the club in January, the express return of Dominic Iorfa earlier than expected seems to have eased concerns over cover at the back.

On Friday the Owls boss explained that enquiries would be made into potential targets early this week – but that there were no active negotiations with regard to incoming transfers. A host of names have been linked with a move to Wednesday.

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One potential solution to their lack of numbers at the back is 22-year-old Owls defender Ciaran Brennan.

In December Moore ruled out the possibility of recalling the Republic of Ireland youth cap from a loan at League Two Swindon Town where he has played 14 times while dodging injury set-backs.

But given the potential shift in Owls circumstances, Moore said the return of Brennan is one they could consider.

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“It's a good shout because he's part of our squad,” he said. “We've been monitoring him and where he is at and how he's been doing.

“He's certainly been one name that's not been talked about but he's a part of our football club. We knew why we sent him down there to go and get some game time. We're expecting to see a real difference to him in terms of his game and his physicality and robustness. So we'll monitor his situation.”