Sheffield Wednesday keep in regular contact with clubs they have loaned players from regarding decisions made about those individuals.

With The Owls working under agreed-EFL financial restrictions following administration last season and the takeover by Arise Capital Partners, the loan market was always going to be useful method for them to rebuild their squad.

With the club being in League One and attracting crowds of more than 30,000, they have been able to take some young prospects from Premier League sides, who want their academy products to go out and experience first-team football and the pressure and expectation of battling for three points every week rather than the more relaxed environment of youth football.

Wednesday have got six players on loan - Mason Burstow (Hull City), Harry Gray (Leeds United), Jaden Heskey (Manchester City), Kieran Morrison (Liverpool), Ali Al-Hamadi (Ipswich Town) and Davis Keillor-Dunn (Wrexham) which has presented manager Henrik Pedersen with a difficult decision because clubs can only name five loan players in a matchday squad. Heskey was left out against Wigan Athletic, while Ali-Hamadi missed out against Stockport County.

Pedersen said the decision of who to leave out will be based on a match-by-match basis. Against Wigan, for example, he explained he chose to leave Heskey out so they could have more attacking players on the bench. Given that loan clubs will want their young players gaining regular first-team action, there is a balance to be struck for Wednesday, as they presumably try to keep all parties happy.

When asked how that process works, Pedersen said: “Kevin (Beadell) and Simon (Wilson) speak with the loan clubs and speak with the agents, and we have a close follow-up for our players. So we are on the front-foot with this, so we can give each player the best possible development step.”

Al-Hamadi was left out against Stockport because of a foot injury and he has since withdrawn from international duty with Iraq because of an ankle issue. It remains to be seen how Al-Hamadi could be out for, if any at all. Although Pedersen will of course want the forward to be available for selection, it would mean he would no longer have to decide which loan player to omit.

Wednesday return to action on October 6 against Sunderland under-21s in the EFL Trophy before visiting Huddersfield Town four days later.