Barry Bannan reacts to Sheffield Wednesday player exit | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan has taken to social media to react to forward Charlie McNeill's loan move to Crewe Alexandra.

A new era is underway at Hillsborough following the takeover by David Storch's Arise Capital Partners consortium, and Wednesday's new ownership have wasted no time in getting to work on rebuilding the squad ahead of their return to League One.

Charlie McNeill makes Sheffield Wednesday loan exit as Owls rebuild continues

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Having operated with a threadbare squad for the entirety of last season, an overhaul of the playing staff has been required this summer following Wednesday's relegation from the Championship.

The Owls have brought in 13 new signings so far, with Joe Lumley, Ricardo Santos, Billy Mitchell, Barry Bannan, Louie Barry, Harry Gray and Mason Burstow among the high-profile additions, and there are likely to be more to come before the end of the window.

However, there have also been a number of departures this summer, including the likes of Pierce Charles, Dominic Iorfa, Nathaniel Chalobah and Svante Ingelsson, and forward McNeill has become the latest player to head for the exit door.

McNeill joined Wednesday on a free transfer in the summer of 2024 following his release by Manchester United, and they were said to have fought off competition from Lazio, Torino, LA Galaxy and Toronto to land his signature at the time, but he has struggled to make an impact at Hillsborough.

Four of McNeill's six goals for the Owls came last season, with the 22-year-old netting a consolation goal in the Steel City derby defeat at Sheffield United in February, but after being deemed surplus to requirements by manager Henrik Pedersen, he will spend the upcoming campaign on loan at League Two side Crewe Alexandra.

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It was a disappointing campaign for Crewe last season as they finished 11th in the League Two table, but they will be hoping that McNeill can make the difference as they look to reach the play-offs this time around.

McNeill is Alex's fourth signing of the summer so far, with the forward following Luke Offord, Joe White and Jordan Gibson in making the switch to Gresty Road, and he could make his debut on Saturday when Lee Bell's men travel to Crawley Town in their season opener.

While McNeill has joined Crewe on a season-long loan, there is a chance he could return to Hillsborough earlier than planned, with Wednesday sporting director Simon Wilson revealing that all parties will "review the situation in January and take it from there".

After McNeill's move to Alex was confirmed on Thursday morning, the forward was inundated with messages of support from current and former Owls team-mates on Instagram, with Pierce Charles, Liam Palmer, Liam Cooper, Gabriel Otegbayo, Shea Charles, Callum Paterson and Jamal Lowe among those to wish him well.

Bannan, who made an emotional return to Wednesday from Millwall this summer, also shared his reaction to McNeill's temporary exit, writing: "Go on Charlie boy", accompanied by a flame and clapping emojis.

Charlie McNeill facing make-or-break season as big Sheffield Wednesday decision looms

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A loan move away from Wednesday has long been on the cards for McNeill, with former manager Danny Rohl first mooting the idea back in the 2024-25 season, and a year of playing regular football in League Two will certainly be beneficial for his development.

While Crewe have missed out on the play-offs in each of the last two seasons, they are frequently involved in the promotion mix in the fourth tier, and they also have a strong track record of improving young players, so the move to Gresty Road could be a productive one for McNeill.

However, McNeill will know he needs to impress during his loan spell with Alex as he has now entered the final year of his contract at Hillsborough, and Pedersen will no doubt be watching closely ahead of the big decision on his future next summer.