‘Maybe his best’ – Sheffield Wednesday boss details attacker decision and praises output

The 24-year-old has had a tough time of things since joining the Owls last summer, with injuries hampering his progress and limiting him to less than 30 appearances for the club across all competitions up to now. His start against Birmingham City at the weekend was outing number 29.

Wilks was a surprise name in Danny Röhl’s side at St. Andrews, but he burst out of the blocks with vigour and looked like a man with a point to prove as Wednesday started brightly in the Midlands. Unfortunately a strong first half wasn’t enough, though, and a late winner from the hosts meant another defeat on the road for the Owls.

But Röhl was impressed by what he saw from his number seven, explaining that his work at Middlewood Road over the international break was what led to him starting. And he may well get another chance on Wednesday night against Leicester City.

“I think it was maybe Mallik’s best performance since he arrived here at this club,” the Owls boss told the media. “He showed what he can do, he showed his potential, and this is also the challenge for me - to improve my players. I’ve seen the improvement from nearly everyone, and we’re taking the players to the next level…

"Mallik showed in the last two weeks what he can do on the pitch, and he invested a lot. His physical data showed that he sprinted a lot, but he was also the guy that scored a lot over the last 14 days in training. So he scored a lot of goals and showed his quality in the box - I spoke to him before the game and demanded from him to transfer it from training to the match.

“He showed what he can do. He was strong, he fought for every ball. He became a little bit tired, but that’s normal. It’s what I like, and it’s good to see the improvement. I believe in my players, and making them better.”

The Owls face Leicester at 7.45pm on Wednesday night.