‘They’re going to be huge…’ – Darren Moore praises Barry Bannan and Josh Windass amid fears of potential exits

Not many fans would argue that Bannan and Windass aren’t third tier material given their ability and what they bring to the table, but both remain contracted to Wednesday at present and have starred in their two friendly games so far.

Bannan ran the midfield against Celtic and Chester, getting forward more than fans have become used to in recent years, before going off, while Windass was a constant thorn in both matches and got a goal in each of them.

With the attacker, there has already been plenty of interest from the likes of Millwall – who have had two bids turned down – and other clubs in the Championship, while Bannan has plenty of admirers above League One on the back of his work on the field over the last few seasons.

But the Owls boss says that both players will be huge for Wednesday as they look to climb back up into the Championship at the first time of asking, and fans will take that as a good sign that they might be sticking around at Hillsborough.

Speaking to The Star after the win at Chester, Moore said, “They’re two really important players for us this season… We know the quality that they both have, and we know their versatility in terms of the positions that they can play for the team. So they’re going to be huge players for us this season.

“We’ve still got just under four weeks left of preseason, so there’s a lot more time and work to be done in terms of sharpness to the gameplay, but I’m really pleased with what I saw today.”

The pair are expected to feature once again tomorrow night when Wednesday make the trip to Alfreton Town for their third preseason friendly, and Moore will be hoping for more of the same from the experienced duo as preparations for the 2021/22 campaign continue.

‘We’re close…’ – Darren Moore hopeful of new Sheffield Wednesday signings soon