Henrik Pedersen has found Sheffield Wednesday a League One secret weapon | OneFootball

Charlie McNeill could be a secret weapon for Sheffield Wednesday in League One next season, but manager Henrik Pedersen may have two big concerns.

There may still be over half of the Championship season remaining, but Sheffield Wednesday will already be preparing for life in League One.

After a summer of turmoil under former owner Dejphon Chansiri that saw the departure of manager Danny Rohl and a host of key players, many understandably wrote Wednesday off before a ball had even been kicked this season.

Strong restrictions on the club's transfer activity resulted in the arrival of only two new signings in the summer, leaving new boss Henrik Pedersen with a threadbare squad, and the Owls were always going to face an uphill battle to stay in the division.

That task was made even harder when they were given a 12-point deduction after entering administration in October, and a further six-point penalty imposed as a punishment for multiple late wage payments during the final months of the Chansiri era has made survival almost impossible, with Pedersen's men currently sitting a huge 29 points from safety after the 3-0 home defeat to Derby County on Monday night.

Of course, with a takeover yet to be completed, it is difficult for Wednesday to start properly planning for League One just yet, but Pedersen will be assessing which of his squad he wants to keep in the third tier next season, and forward Charlie McNeill is one man who could have a big role to play.

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With Wednesday's ban on paying transfer fees set to be lifted after they exit administration, the club's new owners will be able to provide some much-needed investment in the squad in the summer ahead of what will be a tough League One season.

It has been clear this season that many of the Owls' current squad are not at the level required for the Championship, and there are big question marks over whether some would even be able to cut it in the division below, but McNeill has shown enough to suggest he could be a real asset.

McNeill joined Wednesday on a free transfer last summer following his departure from Manchester United, with the South Yorkshire outfit fighting off competition from the likes of Lazio, Torino, LA Galaxy and Toronto to land his signature.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a dream start to his Owls career as he scored twice on his debut in a 2-1 EFL Cup victory at Hull City, but he struggled to build on that early promise and made just six further appearances last season during what proved to be an incredibly frustrating campaign.

However, with many of Wednesday's attackers leaving the club this summer, the door has been opened for McNeill to gain more regular game time, and after initially failing to nail down a place in the team, he has certainly started to show what he is capable of.

McNeill scored a double in the Owls' 3-2 home defeat to Preston North End last month, which could have been a hat-trick had he not missed a second half penalty, and he was on the scoresheet again in the 1-1 draw at Watford last week as he put his side ahead in the 17th minute with a well-taken strike.

The forward does have some League One experience after spending a brief loan spell at Stevenage in the 2023-24 season, during which he scored one goal in three appearances, but after getting plenty of senior minutes under his belt in the Championship this season and improving his all-round game and his finishing, he should be much better equipped to deliver in the third tier for Wednesday.

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With the likes of Jamal Lowe, Bailey Cadamarteri and Ike Ugbo all currently underperforming, Wednesday will be relieved to have one forward player in McNeill that they can be confident will be a threat in League One next season.

However, while McNeill's current form should give him the perfect platform for next season, his promising performances may not have gone unnoticed by other Championship clubs, and should he continue his development over the course of the campaign, there is a chance he could be given the chance to remain in the second tier.

Given that the Owls' ownership situation has yet to be resolved, there is even a possibility that clubs could look to take advantage of their predicament and poach McNeill for a cut-price fee in January, but that seems unlikely as he has not fully proven himself in the Championship just yet.

Even if Wednesday do manage to keep hold of McNeill for next season, Pedersen may be worried that he might not have the chance to work with him in League One as doubts continue to grow over his long-term future at Hillsborough.

It is harsh to judge Pedersen given the challenging conditions he has been working in this season, but he has won just one of his 23 games in charge so far in all competitions, which does not make good reading for the Dane, and he will also be well aware that new ownership regimes often look to make their own appointments.

There is no doubt that Pedersen deserves huge credit for his role in McNeill's development, but it remains to be seen whether he will get to enjoy the fruits of his hard work next season.