Henrik Pedersen confirms major Sheffield Wednesday blow | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen has confirmed that Sil Swinkels will be out for a month with a hamstring injury.

Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen has revealed that Sil Swinkels could miss the next month after suffering a hamstring injury.

The centre-back joined the Owls from Aston Villa in the summer window, and he has had a positive start to his career at Hillsborough after impressing in the victories over Bolton in the EFL Cup and the opening day win at Leyton Orient.

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However, Swinkels was replaced with 20 minutes to go in the cup defeat to Wolves last time out, and he appeared to be holding his hamstring as he was replaced.

Henrik Pedersen shares Sil Swinkels injury update

Therefore, the Dutchman was always going to be a doubt for the game against Bromley this weekend, and Swinkels has been ruled out.

That’s after boss Pedersen told the Sheffield Star that the 22-year-old could be out for up to four weeks.

“He will be out for a few weeks. It will take, I think, three to four weeks. Then he'll be back again. But let's see.

“I think he has been growing incredibly since he started. I think mentally he has been very strong. Tactically, he has improved a lot, and he really started to be a strong centre-back for the long balls, but we work a lot with him too.”

If Swinkels is out for four weeks, he could miss up to six League One games for Wednesday, with the side set to embark on a busy period in the calendar.

Sheffield Wednesday’s squad will be tested in the coming weeks

Obviously, this is a blow for Wednesday, as Swinkels has made a positive impression since he joined the club, and he has the attributes to be a big player for the team this season.

But, injuries happen in football, and, in the big picture, a four-week absence isn’t the worst-case scenario knowing Swinkels had damaged his hamstring.

Given the nature of the problem, and that it’s early in the season, you would imagine the Owls will be cautious about how they reintegrate the defender into the group, but there will be a hope that he can return swiftly.

In the meantime, Liam Cooper is likely to partner Gabriel Otegbayo in central defence for Pedersen’s side against Bromley, but Ricardo Santos is another option.

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The ex-Bolton man did well against Wolves, but he is still building up match fitness, so the fixture on Saturday may come too soon, although Santos will back himself to force his way into the XI in the weeks to come.

Sil Swinkels will be determined to get back playing quickly

As for Swinkels, this will be a huge frustration for him, as he has only just joined Wednesday, and he would have been hoping for a run of games to show what he can do.

We know that all footballers are just desperate to play, but he has proven in the past, after recovering from an ACL injury during his time with Aston Villa, that he has the mentality to bounce back.

In comparison to that, this issue is a minor one, and it’s now just about doing everything right to ensure he can get back out on the pitch as quickly as possible.

Now, he will be watching his teammates as they look to build momentum in League One, and he will hope to return to a side that is competing at the top of the division when he is back in action.