Sheffield Wednesday hopeful of getting new contract over the line after youngster’s ‘wonderful week’

Pierce Charles has spent time with the Owls’ first team in recent weeks, notably travelling with Darren Moore’s men on a pre-season trip to Portugal back in July.

And this week he was with the Northern Ireland senior squad on a similar experience-building mission.

A former Manchester City youth starlet, Charles is hugely highly rated at S6 alongside his goalkeeping colleague Jack Hall, an England youth cap.

After weeks of talk over a professional deal – Charles turned 17 this summer – it seems the club are closing in on getting a deal done.

“Hopefully we will have some more news on that in the week ahead,” Owls boss Darren Moore told The Star. “Talks have gone really, really good.”

“We are really pleased with Pierce,” he continued. “He has had a wonderful week [with Northern Ireland].

“For him, that call up is special and it shows the potential that he has at such a young age.

“What I like about him is he has got a wonderful work ethic, humbleness and focus with him for one so young.

“Credit to him that he trains in and around the first team on a day to day basis facing [Michael] Smith, [Lee] Gregory, [Callum] Paterson, [Mallik] Wilks, [Alex] Mighten and [Josh] Windass.

“That's a calibre of players where he has got to get his angles right in goal if he's going to stop shots from them.”