Fresh Louie Barry update emerges at Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

Henrik Pedersen has provided an encouraging update on Louie Barry's fitness after ankle injury

Henrik Pedersen has claimed that Louie Barry is smiling again as he continues his recovery from injury.

The 23-year-old has been absent since going off against Wycombe Wanderers on 1 September due to an ankle injury.

The attacking midfielder made a strong start to life with the Owls after joining on a permanent basis from Aston Villa in the summer.

He scored twice and provided an assist in a 7-2 win against Bromley before finding the back of the net again against Wycombe.

But he was forced off after just 15 minutes with an issue, and is now on the road to recovery to get back into the team.

It was initially expected that he is set miss three months of action due to the issue, with injury issues plaguing him in the last couple of seasons.

Henrik Pedersen provides Louie Barry fitness update

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Pedersen has provided a positive update on Barry’s recovery from injury, claiming that he is doing much better now than just a few weeks ago.

However, he has suggested that the club will need to be patient regarding his recovery, indicating they won’t be pushing to rush him back any sooner than the expected timeline.

“He is going much better now,” said Pedersen, via The Star.

“He has a smile on his face again and is starting to feel that he's going forward.

“But of course we need to have patience.

“It will take more weeks before he can come back again.”

Barry was among a raft of summer signings, with Sheffield Wednesday overhauling almost their entire first team squad.

He arrived from Aston Villa after disappointing loan stints that included a spell at rivals Sheffield United, as well as Hull City in which he struggled with fitness issues.

The forward made a total of just 15 league appearances in 2025/26, including nine in the Championship for the Blades.

And the 23-year-old made a positive impact in the first few weeks of the campaign, with the Yorkshire outfit targeting a promotion fight this season.

But it’s unlikely that he will feature again until after the November international break at the earliest.

Sheffield Wednesday’s strong start to the season

Sheffield Wednesday have earned 14 points from their opening seven league fixtures, with Pedersen’s side sitting second in the League One table.

The Owls are just one point behind leaders Bradford City, but will not be in action this weekend due to the international break.

Pedersen’s side are unbeaten in their last six league games, with their only defeat coming at home to the Bantams.

Next up for Sheffield Wednesday will be the visit of Cambridge United to Hillsborough on 3 October.

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Louie Barry recovery will be crucial for Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday have managed the absence of Barry well, but Pedersen will still be keen to have someone of his quality back sooner rather than later.

It’s a testament to the work the recruitment team did over the summer that the squad is deep enough to manage his injury for now.

But given his injury issues in the past, it’s a positive sign that he is smiling now and fans will be hoping this is a sign that his recovery is going in the right direction.

Everyone at Hillsborough will be hoping that this ankle issue was just a one-off incident, and that he can have a good run of staying fit once he comes back.