The Owls kick-off the new League One season against Leyton Orient next month

Sheffield Wednesday have landed in Hungary for their third week of pre-season training.

The Owls have touched down in Budapest ahead of a five-day training camp before two days in Austria sees them play Stoke City in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday (2pm).

With Henrik Pedersen’s men about to start their third full week of pre-season training, we have picked out six talking points as their preparations for the new season continue...

‘VERY FIT’

Pedersen made it clear there would be a lot of running in pre-season and their physical levels have already made a positive impression on one opposition manager, with Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom saying they were ‘very fit’ when the two sides played against each other at the weekend. After a turbulent time a year ago, Wednesday went into the Championship season massively undercooked and it resulted in injuries and the team running out of steam after an hour in games. The Owls returned from their summer break earlier than most other clubs and they appear to be reaping the rewards so far.

FORMATION HINT

Due to the make-up of the squad last season, Wednesday mainly played with a back five. Because of their threadbare ranks being light in certain positions, and with them battling just to stay in games and not take a hammering, it was decided that a five-man defence was how they were going to set-up. That was despite Pedersen saying that ideally, in the long-term, he wanted to go with a back four. Now that new additions have been made and the squad is slowly becoming more balanced, Pedersen selected a four-man backline against West Brom and Preston. The early signs suggest that is how they will start when the proper stuff gets underway.

MORE DEPTH NEEDED

Nine new faces have come through the door but plenty more are still needed, with some believing that at least another 10 are required, particularly in midfield, on the wings and firepower up top. Wednesday’s lack of experienced depth was highlighted against Preston, where a largely a young side was fielded. Many of those players featured in the Championship at times last season because of the ‘needs-must’ situation but they still need time to develop.

RETURN FOR CHAL?

Nathaniel Chalobah has been back training with Wednesday despite leaving at the end of last season. On Saturday against Preston, the experienced midfielder was named on the club’s official team-sheet rather than listed as a ‘trialist.’ This could be because it is widely known that he is with the group, while some fans have wondered whether it means he will be re-signing. Former Leicester City winger, Wanya Marcal, 23, is the other trialist, but he has only been named by us and other media.

OWLS WAIT ON TRIO

Summer arrival Ricardo Santos, and fellow defenders Di'Shon Bernard and Liam Cooper, are yet to feature in any of the friendlies so far. Owls coach Pete Shuttleworth had played down any fears of serious injuries to Santos and Cooper, suggesting ‘tightness’ was the issue, and said they would be travelling with the squad to Hungary and Austria. Bernard was probably not expected to be involved at this stage after a long-term injury but he has been regularly pictured in training doing individual work.

UGBO RESOLUTION REQUIRED

The Star’s understanding is that Ike Ugbo has been training out of the club’s secondary Bawtry Road base, completing an individual training programme. All parties are now accepting that finding a deal to move him on is the best thing for everyone, but that might not be a simple manoeuvre given his wages and how things have panned out in the last couple of years.