Massimo Luongo explains Sheffield Wednesday exit – admitting it didn’t work out at first

The Australian midfielder, who just earned a long-awaited recall to his national team, left the Owls in 2022 after the club’s first season in League One, despite the fact that he was offered a new deal by Darren Moore in order to stay.

Speaking in an interview with The Athletic he explained that his intention was to move closer to his family, but issues over the summer meant that in the end he landed further north and in difficult circumstances.

“I left Sheffield Wednesday after they offered me a new deal but it had nothing to do with them,” Luongo told them. “The idea was to come back down south because my family was still here and I was trying to find a better-suited club for everyone. I ended up being a free agent and it was a weird time because it was the first proper window after COVID. There were a few clubs I had said no to earlier in the window – and then I ended up going further away up to Middlesbrough.

“I signed under Chris Wilder. When he left, the interim manager came in and wanted to get fans on side with young players and players they know. I didn’t really have a reputation there so it was hard to break in. When Michael Carrick took over, again, he didn’t really know me. I just put my head down and knew I’d be moving in January. There was half a connection with Carrick and (Kieran) McKenna from Manchester United, and I’d had a bit of contact with Ipswich when I was a free agent that summer.”

He landed on his feet in the end though after joining Ipswich Town, helping them to promotion and playing a huge role in their brilliant start to the 2023/24 season – the 31-year-old has earned many plaudits for his efforts since his arrival at Portman Road.

Wednesday will come up against Luongo once again in March, by which time the Championship table will be taken a lot more seriously.