Sheff Wed suffer George Byers injury blow

Sheffield Wednesday have received a blow with the news that key midfielder George Byers will miss his side’s League One clash with Bolton Wanderers.

The Lowdown: Byers a key man all season

The Owls are enjoying a season to treasure currently, sitting top of the table with a couple of months of the campaign remaining, and with a return to the Championship close.

Darren Moore’s side have shown great consistency throughout 2022/23, as highlighted by the fact that they haven’t lost in the league since a 2-1 defeat at promotion rivals Plymouth Argyle way back in early October.

There have numerous star players for Wednesday this season, whether it be Liam Palmer at the back, Barry Bannan in midfield or Josh Windass in attack, but Byers’ influence has been huge in its own right.

The 26-year-old has been a constant box-to-box presence in the middle of the park, scoring six goals and registering three assists, as well as averaging 2.7 tackles per game to outline his all-round effectiveness.

With Moore’s men preparing to host Bolton on Friday evening, however, a negative injury update has emerged.

The Latest: Injury blow confirmed

Taking to Twitter, reliable journalist Alex Miller confirmed that Byers will miss the game with a muscle problem, with the length of his absence still unknown:

“George Byers won’t feature tomorrow – muscle injury. DM admits concern over timeframe but he will be assessed. Not much known just yet.”

The Verdict: Need him back ASAP

This is a massive blow for the Owls, considering how important Byers has been in the promotion push this season, starting 19 league matches in total.

His ability to provide both end product and hard work has been priceless to Moore and he has been hailed as ‘superb’ by journalist Joe Crann recently.

That midfield three of Byers, Bannan and Will Vaulks has felt so set and balanced of late, so the hope is that that former’s absence isn’t going to derail Wednesday’s title charge.

In fairness, they have done well without key players throughout the campaign, with the influential Bannan missing a chunk of action at one point, and the hope is that their squad depth shines through yet again when Bolton make the trip to Hillsborough on Friday evening.

Hopefully, Byers’ absence ends up being short-term, allowing him to play a big part in the run-in – he deserves to, having done so much good since joining the club, making 56 appearances to date across two seasons.