Xisco’s cryptic Marvin Johnson response leaves Sheffield Wednesday fans with questions

The 32-year-old was a huge part of Wednesday’s success last season after becoming a regular for Darren Moore, but he’s not even made the bench in a competitive game for the Owls in 2023/24 so far – even missing the Carabao Cup game against Stockport County.

His absence from the squad as Wednesday were beaten 4-2 on Saturday afternoon meant that there were more queries for the club’s manager, but his response left more questions than answers.

"If you ask him why, maybe he can tell you,” the Owls boss told the media when questioned about Johnson’s continued absence. "Everybody works hard in training. It is simple. It's ok to work hard in training but in games we need to stay more concentrated and give better solutions. The competition is demanding. If you ask where our starting point was, it was very low. Now we need to change a lot of things."

The former Middlesbrough man only signed a new deal with the club last month, but now faces the prospect of a season where he could spend time watching from the stands rather than being out on the field of play.

Johnson only missed out on for Wednesday squads in their entire league campaign in 2022/23, three of them due to suspension, but will have already missed out on three should he not make it back in when they face Preston North End next weekend.

Wednesday’s defeat meant that they’re still waiting for their first points back in the second tier, and they sit in 22nd place above Boro and Huddersfield Town.