Ian Poveda was the subject of interest from Sheffield Wednesday this summer after his contract with Leeds United came to an end - but signed for Championship rivals Sunderland in July.

The Colombia international proved a popular figure among the Owls fan base in an eye-catching stint on loan from the Elland Road club last season. Arriving on deadline day of the winter transfer window, he played his part in their remarkable survival effort, but managed only 10 appearances as hamstring woes ended his campaign with five matches still to play.

With his four-year association with Leeds having come to an end, The Star reported that Wednesday held a strong interest in his signing and that talks took place over the course of the summer. It was understood that S6 was Poveda’s preferred destination after his promising showings in training but that, vitally, the Owls would ultimately only offer the deal they thought appropriate. A deal is not believed to have got particularly close despite social media rumours suggesting the contrary and Sunderland signed him on a three-year deal.

Things have started with difficulty in the North East for the attacker. Poveda didn’t make his senior debut with the table-topping Black Cats until the end of August as he battled to recovery from the injury that ended his Wednesday involvement. A 17-minute substitute outing followed before he missed two matches with a thigh injury and now he faces another spell of four to six weeks on the side lines after hobbling out of their 2-0 win over Derby County on Tuesday. He has managed only 44 minutes of Championship football so far this season.

"For Ian, it is still too early for the full diagnosis but I think it is going to be a long injury, maybe four or six weeks,” Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris said. “It's a shame because he is very involved in his progression, his way of training. But the Championship is long, we still have 38 games to play. Ian is going to be helpful for the team but he is going to need time to recover."