Sheffield Wednesday has had a respectable start to the Championship season.
After an amazing turnaround under Danny Rohl, Wednesday barely avoided relegation the previous season. The German reconstructed his team in the summer, bringing in 11 new players during the transfer window.
Even though the Owls’ first two months of the season have been uneventful, there have been noticeable improvements, and several of the new players have already had an impact.
Wednesday will return to play following the international break when they visit Cardiff City on Saturday. They are now three points above the relegation zone in 15th place in the Championship standings.
Charlie McNeill, a striker, has struggled since joining the Owls, and with January quickly approaching, his short-term future appears dubious, despite the fact that the summer transfer window was generally regarded as a success.
Charlie McNeill will be concerned by his lack of game time at Sheffield Wednesday
After McNeill was released by Manchester United, Wednesday signed him on a free transfer in July. It is said that they resisted Lazio, Torino, LA Galaxy, and Toronto’s attempts to recruit him.
On paper, McNeill appeared to be an exciting addition to the Owls, drawing interest from teams of that quality, especially the two Serie A teams. However, he has struggled to establish himself in the squad.
Speaking after the game, Rohl stated that it was “not surprising” to see the 21-year-old score two goals in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory against Hull City in the EFL Cup first round in August. Both goals came in the first ten minutes of the game.
It was reasonable to think that McNeill’s cup performance would give him additional opportunities to make an impression, but things haven’t gone as planned, and the striker hasn’t played for the Owls in the league yet.
Since the match against Hull, McNeill has really only played 66 minutes in the EFL Cup, and he has only been a part of three of Wednesday’s 15 Championship matchday squads this year.
Although Rohl was always likely to see him as a player for the future, he would not have anticipated playing so few minutes at Hillsborough, and he ought to think about requesting a loan transfer in January.
Sheffield Wednesday exit would be beneficial for Charlie McNeill in January
The striker’s lack of playing time is made even more concerning by the fact that Michael Smith leads Wednesday in goals scored with three, while Jamal Lowe has scored twice and expensive summer acquisition Ike Ugbo has only scored once.
Given how poorly the Owls’ forwards have performed in front of goal this season, it is unlikely that McNeill’s circumstances will improve in the second half of the season. If Rohl had intended to give him a chance in the squad, it would have happened by now.
It is understandable why Rohl is unsure if the forward is ready for the Championship just yet given that he only scored twice in 20 games during his loan spell at Newport County in League Two prior to joining Hillsborough, and he only scored once in three games during a brief, injury-plagued stint at Stevenage in League One.
With 34 goals in 35 games for the U18s and 12 goals in 47 games for the U21s during his successful stint in the Man United system, McNeill is a player who obviously understands where the goal is, and a string of games could be just what he needs to ignite his senior career.
Bailey Cadamarteri, who has joined League One team Lincoln City, is the only striker Wednesday has loaned out this season. He has had a successful stint at Sincil Bank thus far, tallying five goals in 17 games for Michael Skubala’s team.
Given the success of Cadamarteri’s loan move, Rohl ought to adopt a similar strategy with McNeill. The striker will undoubtedly be eager to play regularly and prove his abilities to the Owls manager.
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