Sheffield Wednesday: Henrik Pedersen speaks out on new Harry Amass, Man United transfer twist | OneFootball

The Manchester United loanee's immediate future has become a hot topic of discussion

Another twist has come to the fore in Sheffield Wednesday's hopes of retaining Manchester United loanee, Harry Amass, beyond the upcoming January transfer window.

Speaking to the Sheffield Star in the lead-up to the Owls' upcoming Championship clash against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen has provided further clarity on what has somewhat delayed talks between the two sides over the possibility of the 18-year-old remaining at Hillsborough for the second half of the campaign, although the Dane remains hopeful that a positive outcome will eventually come to the fore.

Wednesday's distinct lack of transfer business in recent times has been well-documented, with the final weeks and months of Dejphon Chansiri's controversial and chaotic 10-year period in the S6 boardroom littered with a plethora of transfer and registration-related embargoes and restrictions alongside a mass exodus of senior players following last season as a result of continuous delayed wage payments.

The latter instances have since led to the Steel City club being hit with a further six-point deduction by the EFL on top of the automatic 12-point penalty they received after Chansiri placed the club into the hands of administrative group, Begbies Traynor on Friday, October 24th.

As such, Amass was one of just two loan signings added to Pedersen's threadbare squad during a summer transfer window full of turmoil in these parts, with the Red Devils youngster following the experienced American shot-stopper, Ethan Horvath, who was recruited on a temporary basis from League One side, Cardiff City, following a shoulder injury which was sustained by number one keeper, Pierce Charles.

Whilst talks of a takeover continue to, unsurprisingly, dominate headlines in South Yorkshire as we head towards the New Year, Amass' future has arguably been the biggest on-pitch talking point of late, and it has taken yet another twist - one which will certainly offer Pedersen and several Wednesdayites plenty of encouragement.

With Amass becoming the second and final addition to Pedersen's squad in the summer, it was well-documented that the Premier League side were paying every penny of the loan agreement due to the Owls' troublesome financial situation, in what was also the Londoner's first ever temporary stint away from Old Trafford.

Indeed, the 18-year-old was able to make a minor breakthrough into the first-team fold in the North West under Ruben Amorim last season, making a handful of starts in the final weeks of the Premier League season, as well as making two cameos in United's run to the UEFA Europa League final, where they were defeated by Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao.

Although a season-long loan was agreed between the two clubs, a break clause was also inserted as part of the deal, meaning there is scope for the Red Devils to recall the young defender and potentially forward him on to a new challenge - a prospect which has heavily been discussed as Wednesday find themselves 27 points from safety as a result of the aforementioned point deductions.

The man who has been deployed as a left-wing-back in Pedersen's three-back system has produced several strong displays, scoring his first senior goal in the 3-1 defeat at Southampton on November 8th before providing Charlie McNeil with one of his two strikes in last weekend's 3-2 home loss to Preston North End.

Pedersen claimed last week that United were "very happy" with the progress which their on-loan starlet has made at Hillsborough, before it was reported by Simon Stone of BBC Sport that there is "huge interest" in Amass' services ahead of the upcoming window, which opens on New Year's Day.

Such circumstances only raised fears of a recall, although Pedersen has now stated that developments at Old Trafford have caused a slight delay, but he still remains hopeful of a positive outcome.

“There is contact between Sheffield Wednesday and Man United and I hope in the next one or two weeks we can come closer to something here," he said.

“I think there is something between Manchester United and Harry that they have to find out before we can make the next step,” Pedersen added.

“I hope it will be found out in the short term. There could be something with the contract between Harry and Manchester United, but let’s see what happens. I think we will find a solution - I really hope.”

There hasn't been much for Wednesday supporters to smile about this season, and the loss of a highly-rated talent within a limited squad would have been yet another crushing blow.

However, it's fair to say that Pedersen's latest revelation will have certainly eased such fears, although it is clear that he, the club or Amass can do very little about any final decision.

At present, all the England youth international must do is continue to be unfazed by the speculation and continue to enhance his development ahead of the upcoming window, where Wednesday will hope to add further bodies if a takeover can be finalised in the coming weeks.