Sheffield Wednesday summer signing should already be pushing for January exit | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday striker Charlie McNeill should be looking to leave the club on loan in the January transfer window.

It has been a decent start to the season for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

Wednesday narrowly avoided relegation last season after an incredible turnaround under Danny Rohl and the German rebuilt his squad in the summer, with 11 new signings arriving at Hillsborough during the course of the transfer window.

Many of the new additions have made an impact so far, and while it has been an inconsistent opening few months of the campaign for the Owls, there have been clear signs of progress.

Wednesday currently sit 15th in the Championship table, three points clear of the relegation zone, and they are back in action after the international break when they host Cardiff City on Saturday.

While the summer transfer window was largely considered to be a success for the Owls, one player who has struggled since his arrival is striker Charlie McNeill, and with January fast approaching, his short-term future looks uncertain.

Charlie McNeill will be concerned by his lack of game time at Sheffield Wednesday

Wednesday signed McNeill on a free transfer in July following his release by Manchester United, and they reportedly fought off competition from Lazio, Torino, LA Galaxy, and Toronto to land his signature.

With interest from clubs of that calibre, particularly the two Serie A sides, McNeill looked to be an exciting signing for the Owls on paper, but he has found it tough to force his way into the team.

He enjoyed a dream debut for Wednesday as he scored twice in the 2-1 win at Hull City in the EFL Cup first round in August, with both goals coming in the opening 10 minutes, and speaking post-match, Rohl said that it was "not surprising" to see the 21-year-old get on the scoresheet as he had seen his "quality in training".

It would have been fair to assume that McNeill's contribution in the cup would lead to him getting more chances to impress, but it has not worked out that way, and the striker is yet to feature for the Owls in the league.

In fact, McNeill has played a total of just 66 minutes in the EFL Cup since the game against Hull, and he has only been included in three of Wednesday's 15 matchday squads in the Championship this season.

He was always likely to be viewed as one for the future by Rohl but he would surely not have expected his minutes to be quite so limited at Hillsborough, and he should consider pushing for a loan move in January.

Michael Smith is currently Wednesday's top-scoring striker with three goals, while Jamal Lowe has found the back of the net twice and big-money summer signing Ike Ugbo has only got on the scoresheet once, which makes McNeill's lack of gametime even more alarming for the striker.

Given the way the Owls' strikers have struggled in front of goal this season if McNeill was going to be given an opportunity in the team by Rohl, it would probably have happened by now, so his situation is unlikely to change in the second half of the campaign.

Prior to his arrival at Hillsborough, the forward had a loan spell at Newport County in League Two, during which he scored just twice in 20 games, while he netted one goal in three appearances in an injury-disrupted temporary stint at League One side Stevenage, so it is easy to see why Rohl has doubts about whether he is ready for the Championship just yet.

However, McNeill enjoyed a prolific spell in the Man United academy, scoring 34 goals in 35 games for the U18s and 12 goals in 47 games for the U21s, so he is a player who clearly knows where the back of the net is, and a consistent run of games could be exactly what he needs to spark his senior career into life.

Wednesday have already loaned out one striker this season, with Bailey Cadamarteri joining League One outfit Lincoln City, and he has had a productive spell at Sincil Bank so far, scoring five goals in 17 appearances for Michael Skubala's side.

Rohl should look at the success of Cadamarteri's loan move and take a similar approach with McNeill, and the striker will surely be desperate to play regular football and show the Owls boss exactly what he is capable of.