One Newcastle United midfielder is facing a tight deadline in order to play again this season – but he has been offered hope by his manager.
Jeff Hendrick, a midfielder for Newcastle United, was left off of the Owls’ 25-man EFL Registration List earlier this year and hasn’t played for Sheffield Wednesday in the league since early December. Hendrick relocated to Hillsborough in the summer to train with the team that had just been promoted by Xisco Munoz. The Spaniard left in October, having managed just one victory in his 10 games.
Munoz was replaced by Danny Rohl, and although things have improved for them on the pitch, Hendrick has not played a significant role in that change. In 2024, the international player for the Republic of Ireland has made just one appearance, substituting in the second half of their 4-1 FA Cup Fourth Round replay loss to Coventry City.
The Owls have until Wednesday at 5 p.m. on March 28 to submit their final 25-man roster. Until then, they can sign and register any free agents to enhance their roster. While providing Hendrick with a potential path back into his plans, Rohl acknowledged in an interview with The Star that it would be “difficult” for the team to recruit someone right now and get them up to speed quickly enough to make an impact. “At this time, no one remains,” Rohl declared.
“We will come to a point in the next weeks where it does not work. To bring a new person in with only a few weeks, they would have to adapt to the philosophy and style of football. It would be more and more difficult for them to be on the same page and in the same direction. My players have a high credit from my side; they are fighting, they are mentally strong. It is good to see.
“In this situation, to get a player to come in and make an impact, it is difficult. At the moment there are no other players in the market. If something happens then okay but at the moment I am not really convinced that there are any more players to come in.”
Hendrick, who turned 32 in January, is out of contract at the end of the season and hasn’t featured for Newcastle United since December 2021.
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