Sheffield Wednesday handed big triple boost ahead of Preston North End clash

The news that all three, who played huge parts in last season’s promotion, are available after recovering from their various ailments will come as a big boost for the Wednesday faithful, however it remains to be seen which of them will be handed a starting berth.

Preston come to Hillsborough on Saturday with the Owls aiming for their maiden win of Xisco’s tenure since he arrived in the summer, and it would appear that – for the first time – he could select Bannan, Palmer and Byers in his XI, while Mallik Wilks remains a ‘we’ll see’ for this one.

Here’s what he had to say on the quartet:

Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer

"Barry is better. He trained and I think he’s 100 per cent ready. We’ll see how he reacts and decide after…. Palmer is better but he had operation in summer and played 15 minutes in pre-season and I think he got 10 minutes against Southampton. He needs to get fitter but maybe in the next game, maybe he plays.

George Byers

"Yes. If I’m happy with one player, it is him. He gave me a very good pre-season and we’ve spoken. Every day he’s better and better. He is ready (to start) - I don’t know if he’ll start or not yet! But one of the things for me is I’m very happy he’s back with full power. We have one individual plan for him to try and give him better things. But as I say if I’m happy with one player in the team it is him because he gives me 200 per cent in the training."

Mallik Wilks

"Everyone is working. I don’t know exactly if he can arrive (in time for Saturday) or not. He is working very hard to try to arrive. Tomorrow when we speak to the doctor we’ll see which players are in and which are out, regarding injuries and problems."

The Owls beat Preston the last time they faced off, a 1-0 win in 2021, but a lot has changed since then for both sides.