Sheffield Wednesday star to return for Bolton Wanderers clash, five out, question mark over midfield maestro

Players are available, players are ruled out and one sits suspended.

Here’s a round-up of every availability talking point at S6.

Marvin Johnson

He’s one of the real mainstays of Wednesday’s time under Moore and he’s back after he was slapped with a retrospective three-match suspension for an alleged elbow in the February draw at Ipswich Town.

Will he be dropped straight back in at the expense of Jaden Brown and Reece James? Who knows?

Verdict: Available for selection

George Byers

There was a sharp intake of breath throughout the blue side of Sheffield when Byers went down not once but twice before he was ejected from proceedings in the first half down at Portsmouth on Saturday.

Thankfully, initial indications were promising.

“I’ll give it a couple of days, but yeah it was a tightness and he just couldn’t get it going,” Moore said. “It’s more precaution than anything really, so we took him off.”

Verdict: We’ll see

Dominic Iorfa

Was shown a red card at Pompey – harshly so, perhaps.

Where there would be an option to appeal a straight red, there is no such recourse for two yellows and so Iorfa has received a one-match ban and will miss Friday’s Bolton match-up which will prompt a re-shuffle at the back.

Verdict: Back for Barnsley

Mallik Wilks

Photographs posted on social media showed Wilks was back in action on the Middlewood Road training pitches and last week Moore confirmed there was a couple of weeks work still do in terms of his rehab before he would be made available for selection.

Verdict: Back in April

Callum Paterson

Good news here. Out since the Plymouth win at the start of February, initial fears Paterson would miss the rest of the season were pulled back first to him being able to feature in the final few weeks and then last week Moore suggested that he’s targeting a return alongside Wilks in a couple of weeks.

Moore said the swift return of Wilks and Paterson would give his side a major boost heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

Verdict: Back in April

Michael Ihiekwe

Another long-term absentee, Ihiekwe has sat out since November and is one whose involvement before the end of the season was rated as touch-and-go.

His recovery is going well and while there has been no timescale set on his comeback, he has been on the grass at Middlewood Road.

“It is wonderful to see him on the grass and he’s around the place beaming with a massive smile,” Moore said. “As a player he realises he’s gone through to the next stage of his rehab which is great to see.”

Verdict: Back mid April.. hopefully

Ben Heneghan

Despite a step-up in his training programme at Middlewood Road, Moore has once again rejected the chance of him staging a comeback to match action this season.

“In terms of him being part of a competitive match, even if he is back on the training ground, we’ll see him fit and raring to go in pre-season. But he’s making wonderful progress on his injury.”

Verdict: Back for pre-season

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