Verdict on £2.5m Sheffield Wednesday man's form amid 31-game goalless run
Sheffield Wednesday striker Ike Ugbo is yet to score in the Championship this season.
Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder David Prutton believes a shortage of confidence is at the heart of struggling striker Ike Ugbo’s goal drought.
Ugbo is without a single goal in 31 league appearances, 15 of which have come from the start, with his only direct contributions all season coming in a 5-1 Carabao Cup win over League Two Grimsby Town. The 26-year-old continues to put an excellent shift in upfront but is failing to do the main thing Wednesday wanted him for when forking out £2.5million over the summer.
Wednesday fought off plenty of competition for Ugbo’s signature after an impressive loan spell at Hillsborough saw him bag seven times in 19 games, with Stoke City and Queens Park Rangers among those linked with interest. But the Canadian international’s form this term could not be more different.
Verdict on Ike Ugbo’s Sheffield Wednesday struggles
"Ike Ugbo - struggling at Sheffield Wednesday since arriving for £2.5m,” Prutton told Football League World. "Quite clearly, that's a player low on confidence, which I think Danny Röhl has alluded to. No shortage of work-rate, which I think given when you're in a position such as this, that keeps you in the hearts and minds of the fans.
"Obviously needs a break along the way; just one goal in the cup. He set a decent standard on loan, didn't he? Which is obviously why Danny Röhl felt the need to drop the hammer and get him in permanently. I know there's a bit of a recent consensus with regards to the money spent on strikers that haven't quite fit the bill. Like I said, he seems like an extremely likeable member of the team. I'm surprised given, as I said, the benchmark that he'd laid down on loan.”
Danny Röhl has backed struggling Owls striker
Röhl has spoken openly about Ugbo’s confidence issues in recent weeks, particularly after deciding to leave him out of the matchday squad entirely for a 3-0 win at Plymouth Argyle earlier this month. The summer signing was back in the picture for a trip to Norwich City days later but has not played for Wednesday since, with his last appearance coming against Sunderland at the end of February.
"Sometimes subconsciously, I'm not saying it's remotely meant by a player, but sometimes subconsciously that hunger to prove what you can do to a new club with the potential to move there [permanently] can garner great results,” Prutton added. “It's quite clearly not been the case so far this season, even though we've got a Wednesday side that's chugging along pretty nicely. It's not just the player, you've got to look at the support for the player on the pitch.
"If you look at the service for the player, and if he's not getting it, then Ugbo needs to make sure that the players that are responsible for that are the ones that step up. But, the responsibility for his form solely lays at his feet, and he's got a decent portion of time between now and the end of the season to get back into the side to finish the season strongly."
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