Sheffield Wednesday defender 'fine' despite surprise international exit
Sheffield Wednesday fans were surprised to see Gabriel Otegbayo back in training with the club earlier this week.
The 21-year-old centre back, who has played 32 times for the Owls this season, earned international recognition last month as he was called back up into the Republic of Ireland’s U21s. It was just reward for some strong performances in the Championship despite Wednesday’s struggles.
Otegbayo left Middlewood Road and was pictured training with the ROI youngsters at the FAI Headquarters in Abbotstown, Dublin, but wasn’t in the matchday squad as they drew 1-1 with Moldova on March 26th.
There was no mention of a departure, and a match preview on the Irish FA’s website named him in the squad for the following game against Kazakhstan, but the following day he was spotted back in training at S6. It raised a few eyebrows, and Ireland’s U21s went on to beat the Kazakhs 1-0 at Turkistan Arena.
Wednesday boss, Henrik Pedersen, has now explained why ‘Gabs’ left his international teammates, also insisting that he is ok to feature against Stoke City this afternoon.
“There were some personal things,” Pedersen told TWW. “That’s the reason that he left the camp… He’s fine, though.”
Sheffield Wednesday’s injury latest
Thankfully there are no fresh injury concerns for the Owls, although the likes of Di’Shon Bernard, Liam Cooper, Ernie Weaver and Gui Siqueira remain absent with long-term injuries.
Max Lowe and Nathaniel Chalobah’s recent returns offered a boost, while George Brown is on the brink of a comeback - although that will only come in the next couple of weeks.
Pedersen is also left with a late decision on Jamal Lowe after a long trip back from Mexico after Jamaica’s World Cup heartbreak at Estadio Guadalajara. It may be that he’s given a bit more time to recover, with Devlan Moses - on target again during the international break - could sense an opportunity for himself.
Looking further forward, the Wednesday manager has said that he expects everybody to be back available come the start of preseason, with none of those with serious injuries set to miss the start of the 2026/27 campaign as things stand.