"A bit of false hope" - Sheffield Wednesday told to sanction January exit for forward | OneFootball

Charlie McNeill is yet to work his way into the team at Hillsborough, so a loan move in January must happen.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield Wednesday have seen vast improvements during their current Championship campaign, but it couldn't have got much worse than their relegation battle of 2023-24.

Last season, the Owls were flirting with relegation from the Championship for practically the entire campaign, mainly due to the early season management of Xisco Munoz, but they fortunately managed to steer clear of the drop zone, finishing just three points above.

Danny Rohl took charge of the club in October 2023 and had an incredibly tough task ahead of him in keeping Sheffield Wednesday in the second tier.

Rohl immediately showed glimpses of promise despite having limited resources compared to the rest of the division and gave the Owls fans a lot to be excited about. Their survival has been followed by an impressive start to the 2024/25 campaign, as they sit comfortably in mid-table, having picked up 22 points from 17 games.

They have won almost half as many games as they won all of last season, so there are real signs of improvement.

One of the concerns for the Owls at the moment, though, is that their strikers are failing to fire in regular goals. Michael Smith has grabbed himself four, but Ike Ugbo, who scored plenty last season on loan from Troyes, which led to a permanent arrival at Hillsborough, is yet to get himself on the scoresheet.

On top of that, there is one young striker who signed in the summer and is yet to earn first-team game time in the form of Charlie McNeill, who must now seriously be considering his short-term future.

Charlie McNeill's situation at Sheffield Wednesday

Charlie McNeill was released by Manchester United in the summer, after boasting an incredible goal record at youth level.

As a reward for his performances in the Man Utd academy, he earned loan spells to Newport County and Stevenage, but he failed to really pull up trees, which led to his eventual release.

Sheffield Wednesday took a punt on him in the summer, but he is yet to work his way into the first team at Hillsborough.

His debut for the Owls took everyone by surprise as he scored a brace after ten minutes against Hull City in the EFL Cup, but since then, his only other appearances have come in the same competition, having not made his Championship debut yet.

It has become very evident that McNeill is not ready for Championship football, so a loan move in January would make the most sense.

He clearly has the ability to score goals, as proven at Manchester United, but he now needs to do it on a regular basis in senior football.

Sheffield Wednesday urged to loan Charlie McNeill out in January transfer window

It is clear that Rohl is not in favour of giving him game time at Hillsborough, so a loan move in January would be beneficial. according to the thoughts of FLW's Owls fan pundit, Patrick McKenna.

"I think we should definitely be looking to loan him out in January," Patrick told Football League World.

"It seems with him that there was a bit of false hope in his first start for us where he got those two goals in the first ten minutes, and since then, in his League Cup appearances, he has not looked up to scratch."

"He hasn't contributed since then and looks a bit off it. It's obvious that in training he hasn't really done anything to change the mind of the coaches that he is ready for Championship football. If he's not getting a chance in a team that is struggling to score goals, then it is saying something."

"We signed him as a low-risk signing, and it just hasn't really worked out so far. It's not a case that Danny Rohl would be averse to starting a young player. Last season, [Bailey] Cadamarteri got some starts when we were in a more precarious position in the league, so if Danny Rohl thinks you're up for it, he'll play you."

"It's quite noticeable as well that in his loan spells prior to coming to us at a lower level he really struggled, so, get him out to, I'd say, a League Two level to see if he can get up and running."

'If he impresses, bring him back and maybe consider him for next season, but right now there is no point in him being here and getting no game time. I think it's a no-brainer in that regard. It's not a case of writing him off at this stage, but he hasn't impressed."