An important Sheffield Wednesday player is set for a return after eight weeks out.

Henrik Pedersen couldn’t contain a smirk when asked whether Max Lowe was in-line to jump straight back into the Sheffield Wednesday line-up on Saturday as his spell out with injury nears an end.

The influential left-sided defender has missed eight weeks of action having suffered an injury in training in late August, with returned colleague Reece James having manfully deputised in his absence. The 29-year-old is a key figure for the Owls and his return would open up a new set of options both in defence and going forward.

“He's a strong leader on the pitch,” Pedersen said on Lowe’s return. “So here he makes a big influence. Defensively, he's one of the best front-footed defending players in the league. He's amazing to intercept, to defend in front of and to start transition.

“So he's a strong pressing player. And then, of course, on the ball, he's a strong possession player. He's strong in the possession, but he can also go higher up.”

Wednesday welcome midtable AFC Wimbledon to Hillsborough on Saturday and will be hoping to record their second home win of a League One campaign that has seen them collect 15 points from their eight matches so far. Their left side looked threatening up until injuries to both Lowe and star man Louie Barry, but with one half of that partnership ready to step back into contention and with Barry edging closer to a return sometime in November, things are looking encouraging.

Asked whether Lowe would be subject to a ‘staging-up’ process in terms of his match minutes, Pedersen couldn’t hold back a smile as he hinted at a possible start. “There is no risk anymore with the injury, and he has trained well,” he said.