A key update has emerged on the fitness of Sheffield Wednesday beast Massimo Luongo, regarding how long he is set to be out for.
What's the latest?
Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore has allayed fears that Massimo Luongo will be out until 2022, confirming that he should be out for weeks instead of months.
“Massimo is just going to be out for weeks… He won’t be out until the new year, he’ll be back with our medical team next week. And then he’ll start working and doing his rehabilitation. He’s got a hamstring string pull, which is unfortunate, he did it in the last kick of the game at Rotherham.
“We wanted to get him into a specialist to get another view, and that’s what he’s done. He’s been given a programme to follow, and we’ll have him back in weeks as opposed to the reports that said he’ll be out until the New Year. We expect him back before that.”
Fans will be buzzing
Wednesday fans will be buzzing with this news as it means that Luongo will not be out until 2022 with his injury, as was first feared. It would have been a major blow to Moore's squad had the Australian international been out for a number of months, as he is a quality member of the team and a player capable of putting in excellent performances.
The 28-year-old was restricted to 12 games in the Championship last season, averaging a solid WhoScored rating of 6.65. He averaged an impressive 2.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions in the second tier, showing that he was adept at winning the ball back off the opposition.
In his first league appearance of the current campaign, Luongo showed exactly what he is capable of doing at this level with a stunning display against Rotherham in a 2-0 win. He achieved a WhoScored rating of 8.33 as he won two aerial battles, seven tackles, one interception and made three clearances and a block.
Along with the defensive side of his game, the midfield beast also completed three dribbles and one key pass to push his team up the pitch in transition and help to create chances at the top end.
Ex-Owls boss Garry Monk hailed Luongo last year and claimed that he was one of the best players in the side.
"I think he has been one of our best performing players in terms of consistency across all the games that he has played so far. He is a great lad. He is a quiet leader.
"I have asked more of him vocally to come out of his shell. I think you have seen in some of the games that he is no afraid to say what he wants to say. We need that and I have tried to encourage that."
This, along with his showing against Rotherham, highlights the impact that he can make on Moore's side in League One.
Wednesday fans will be over the moon that his injury is not as serious as first thought and that he could be back fit and firing within a few weeks, rather than months.
Hopefully, he is able to get back as quickly as possible to contribute to the Owls' promotion charge.