What the stats say about Kieran Lee's replacement of Sam Hutchinson in the Sheffield Wednesday midfield

The Manchester United youth product, now 31 and approaching the final weeks of his Wednesday contract, has made 212 Owls appearances across nine seasons at Hillsborough and has battled the waves of serious injury, a shift in position and changing regimes to re-enter the first-team fold on every occasion.

The Mancunian seems to have been the main winner out of Sam Hutchinson’s fall from favour at the club this season. Lee sat out of eight consecutive matches leading into Hutchinson’s final match in the FA Cup at QPR and has since played eight of 11 in the heart of midfield.

And with there seemingly no way back for Hutchinson, whose contract is also up in the summer, it remains to be seen whether Lee’s is one of the sets of contract negotiations bubbling away in the background of the club’s talks with Morgan Fox and Steven Fletcher.

Though they tend to take up different positions, with Lee further forward in slightly wider pockets and Hutchinson having sat much deeper, but a fairly crude statistical comparison makes for interesting reading.

Monk has hinted that a lack of discipline is one of the reasons for the Hutchinson exile and the numbers would bear that out – the former Chelsea man makes 2.19 foul and picks up 0.44 yellows per 90 minutes to Lee’s 1.56 fouls and 0.26 yellows.

Surprisingly, Lee enters more defensive duels than Hutchinson – 8.83 to his 8.48 – and wins more, too, with a 63.5 per cent success rate to Hutchinson’s 57.3.

In breaking up play, though, Hutchinson comes out predictably stronger, recording more interceptions – 4.33 to Lees’ 4 – more ball recoveries in the opposition half – 10.67 to 7.1 – and wins more loose balls – 48.2 per cent to Lee’s 40.7 per cent.

Another surprise comes in the fact that the numbers suggest Hutchinson dictates play more than Lee with the ball at feet, playing more passes – 37.61 per 90 to Lee’s 31.47 – at a better success rate – 86.2 per cent to 59 per cent.