Darren Moore explains recent Nathaniel Mendez-Laing absence for Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

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Football League World

·2 December 2021

Darren Moore explains recent Nathaniel Mendez-Laing absence for Sheffield Wednesday

Article image:Darren Moore explains recent Nathaniel Mendez-Laing absence for Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore has revealed that Nathaniel Mendez-Laing missed yesterday’s EFL Trophy clash with Hartlepool United due to illness.

The winger would have been hoping to make his first start for the club after sealing a move to the Owls last month.


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However, Mendez-Laing was forced to watch on from the sidelines as the Owls slumped to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of their League Two opponents last night.

Mark Shelton opened the scoring for Hartlepool in the 11th minute before an own-goal by Jaden Brown extended the visitors’ advantage at Hillsborough.

Following the break, Will Goodwin added a third for the Pools as they eliminated Wednesday from the competition.

Having been knocked out of the FA Cup and the League Cup earlier this season, the Owls will now be looking to focus on achieving a relative amount of success in the third-tier under the guidance of Moore.

Currently seventh in the League One standings, Wednesday will be hoping to close the gap between them and the automatic promotion places over the Christmas period by picking up victories in their upcoming fixtures.

After witnessing his side’s display against Hartlepool, Moore confirmed that Mendez-Laing missed this game due to illness.

Speaking to Yorkshire Live about the winger, Moore said: “He has been ill in the last 24 hours.

“He was down to play tonight.

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“All of the squad are going to get flu-jabbed up, including the staff.

“We see the next five to six days as a time to get our flu jabs done.”

The Verdict

Wednesday will be hoping that Mendez-Laing will be able to make a swift recovery from his bout of illness as the winger could potentially play a key role in the club’s push for promotion in the coming months.

During his career to date, the 29-year-old has demonstrated that he is more than capable of competing at this level as he has provided 25 direct goal contributions in the third-tier.

Having made his debut for the club in their 2-2 draw with Wycombe Wanderers, Mendez-Laing will be determined to establish himself as a regular member of Wednesday’s starting eleven in the second-half of the 2021/22 campaign.

With the Owls set to face Portsmouth in the third-tier next week, it will be interesting to see whether Moore is able to call upon the services of the former Middlesbrough man for this game.

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