Sheffield Wednesday want to sign former Arsenal man permanently – maybe most important player after double injury gut-punch

Not necessarily with the quality of Mark McGuinness’ performances at the back – it was Moore that chose to bring the youngster in from Cardiff City, after all – but rather that the Republic of Ireland youth international was still on the market as late as August 18.

Moore said himself that he had been shocked by the fact he hadn’t long been swiped away from the market as Wednesday found themselves looking for defenders after injury to Akin Famewo.

McGuinness, 21, has been a tower of consistency at the back, offering a style of performance that belies his young age. After the double defensive injury woe of Ben Heneghan and Michael Ihiekwe, Wednesday are indeed back fishing for defensive reinforcements and will hope for similar luck when the transfer window slides open in January.

The maturity of his efforts across his 18 Wednesday appearances is not lost on Reece James, who is set for an extended spell in the slightly foreign position of left-centre back as Moore seeks to paper the cracks of their double absence and continue a fine run of defensive form.

James, traditionally a wing-back who has played in central midfield previously, spoke in glowing terms about McGuinness and the impact he has had on the game of those around him as well as himself.

“You can see game in, game out how consistent he has been and his performances speak for themselves,” James said.

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“He’s a rock at the back for us, he talks and he’s commanding in telling you exactly where to be, it’s massive for us. Game by game I’m learning the position more and more.

“It’s something I’m enjoying and hopefully it’s something I can continue.

“It’s completely new for me and I’ve never really played there before. It’s a challenge and I always enjoy a challenge. As long as I’m playing that’s all that matters and I’ll always try my very best whatever position the gaffer puts me in.”

Moore admitted last month that McGuinness – on loan for the season from Cardiff – was a player the club would be interested in taking on permanently and that they would go about exploring that possibility with the youngster’s parent club.

Before that comes the small matter of the fact the in-form McGuinness has a recall clause hanging over his deal in January.

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And the central job right here and now is for the defender to stay fit and to continue the sort of form that saw him voted as the club’s player of the month for October.

The same goes for the likes of Dominic Iorfa, Liam Palmer and James, who admitted their defensive resources are looking a little stretched.

“It’s always the key, trying to make sure you stay injury-free and that you’re doing everything right off the pitch,” he said. “The recovery and everything we do at the club is important.

“We’ve got a strong squad and it doesn’t matter who is stepping in at the moment, we’re pulling in good performances. We want to keep that going.”