Sheffield Wednesday forward 'disappointed' not to be playing more at loan club
Loan watch...
Owls forward Charlie McNeill is ‘disappointed’ not to be getting more game-time for loan club Crewe Alexandra.
The 23-year-old was loaned to the League Two side for the season in August. The former Manchester United striker scored six goals in 50 appearances over two years for Sheffield Wednesday. A decision was made to loan him out after taking another look at him in pre-season.
Wednesday confirmed they would monitor his performances and review the situation in January, suggesting a recall clause was inserted into the agreement. Owls sporting director, Simon Wilson, said at the time: “This is a loan that works well for all parties. Charlie is ready for more playing time and it will enable us to monitor him in this environment - Crewe are acquiring a player with an elite goalscoring record in youth football, who is hungry for this opportunity. They have an excellent record of partnering with clubs on loan players and have been really consistent in recent years, performing at the top end of the league. It is a season-long loan but we will all review the situation in January and take it from there.”
So far, McNeill, who is searching for his first goal but has been credited with an assist against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, has made 11 appearances for Crewe, with only two of those being starts. After starting successive games against Walsall and York City in August, the attacker has come off the bench in the last four fixtures. However, with The Railwaymen sitting in third in the table in the automatic promotion places, manager Lee Bell will feel his team selection is justified. Speaking after Crewe’s 3-1 home win against Bristol Rovers on Saturday, Bell said that pair Jordan Gibson and Charlie McNeill are ‘disappointed’ not to be playing at the moment.
Despite giving the green light to a loan move, Owls boss Henrik Pedersen confirmed to The Star that McNeill still has a future at Wednesday. Charlie has to go there with full power now into Christmas, and then we'll evaluate what's happened here,” he said. “So I really hope he'll get a good loan, and then let's see what happens from January. “
When asked if McNeill still has a future at the club, Pedersen replied: “Yeah, why not? Charlie, he's going there to grow. He's going there to grow for the defensive thing, for him as a person, him as a player. He is going to a very good club, it is a good option for him, and then we evaluate in January.”