Sheffield Wednesday prospect Charlie McNeill could be set for a loan switch in January as Owls boss Danny Röhl plots the best route forward for the young striker’s development.
The 21-year-old forward, who arrived in July after leaving Manchester United, has yet to make his Championship debut for the club despite playing a key role in this season’s Carabao Cup campaign. McNeill scored twice in three outings as the Owls advanced to the fourth round, both against Championship opponents Hull City.
He’s only appeared on the bench for league games four times, with a shift in Wednesday’s playing approach from the start of the season pushing him down the pecking order. His signing was made with the future in mind, and his performances for the under-21s have been encouraging, though the pauses between matches can be longer than desired.
When asked about McNeill’s current development status, Wednesday manager Röhl told The Star last week: “In the last weeks, he was sometimes in the squad, sometimes not, and this is the conversation I had with Charlie: ‘If you are in the squad, then it is your next small step, it means you trained well, and I see this.’ The other half is about who starts in front, effect from my bench, and what I require. “We are not ‘happy, happy’ at the moment, but we want to ensure he gets more minutes.” At the present, I cannot guarantee this, but I see positive steps in his personal development, and I notice that he works hard every day – he is not overly disappointed or unhappy. He is a hard worker.
Looking ahead, there appears to be a desire to give McNeill the opportunity to go out on loan in January to acquire playing time. Wednesday has a policy of only loaning out young players to clubs that are a good fit for them, so if the hotshot forward is loaned out, it appears that he will have to go to a club with a similar playing style. Röhl stated that the move will also be depending on how the squad shapes up while navigating a busy fixture schedule, and that McNeill should be prepared for action with that in mind.
“I think we can look to January,” the German coach said. “He is fit and can play a few minutes. We’ll see what makes sense. We should not forget last year’s benches and the numerous injuries; you never know what will happen in the next weeks. You never know. Charlie is ready, and it could benefit both him and myself. I am not afraid to put him in since I see his potential and his hard work up to this point. When it comes to January, we will sit down and make the best option for everyone.”
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