Sheffield Wednesday forward out for rest of year - Danny Röhl sends frustrated message to players

The 24-year-old was a bright spark in his 60-minute outing in defeat at Birmingham City over the weekend, prompting hopes he could spark a renaissance in an Owls career decimated by injury since his protracted switch from Hull City last summer.

But it seems he has suffered yet another setback and will miss the rest of the year, with his manager visibly irritated by the news when speaking to The Star in the minutes after their deserved 1-1 draw with table toppers Leicester City.

"He played 60 minutes and now he is injured with a long injury," Röhl said. "He will be out for six to eight weeks. This is a clear message from my side to my players; we need to be physically fit for my game and my intensity. It is a real shame because he trained very well and he showed in the game what he can do. But you need to be ready for my game.

"At first we thought he was just a little bit tired. He didn't train the last few days and that was the reason he wasn't going to play, but we checked, we had an appointment and got the result and it was not good. He's out again and we need to find a new solution. We have a big squad and we will go again."

Target man Michael Smith is on his comeback from an injury of his own and is looking hard-pushed to play a part in Saturday's visit of Blackburn Rovers. Röhl is understood to be a fan of the attributes Wilks can offer and having staged a comeback into his plans, it serves as added exasperation for a Wednesday career that simply hasn't got going.

"Michael had a little injury in a muscle. It looks well now but we must have a look at how far he is away for Saturday," said Röhl. "Mallik is the same with an injury and it is not good, it takes time. It is frustrating, it is disappointing. When you improve a player and you bring him back into the starting side and he plays just 60 minutes, it is a step back. He created some self-confidence, he was back and showed he could help us. But this is football. I have to deal with it, I have to find solutions."