Sheffield Wednesday latest on the future of Harry Amass who has impressed on loan with the Owls so far this season
Sheffield Wednesday will seek to discuss a deadline with Manchester United over a decision on whether Harry Amass will return to make a Hillsborough.
The talented left-back returned to his parent club earlier this month after the terms of his initial loan ran out. Wednesday have retained hopes of bringing Amass back to complete the campaign in a fresh agreement, with discussions with the Premier League giants having taken place for several weeks.
A number of other Championship clubs are understood to have shown an interest in taking Amass on loan, with restrictions on what Wednesday are able to pay players placing those rivals in a position to offer better financial terms at clubs operating higher up the table. Contract discussions between the youngster and United are also at play and will impact his next move.
Both clubs and player are believed to have been more than satisfied with the huge developments made by the 18-year-old in his first half of the season at S6 and where the chances of his Hillsborough return were at one point looking unlikely, The Star has reason to believe there is increased optimism that a deal can be struck.
Speaking over the weekend, boss Henrik Pedersen said on the Owls' discussions over Amass: "It has changed a lot. At first we were very confident that he would be with us, then it was a little bit more flat and now it has come back again. It has been a little bit up and down, this process. Right now, it is just to see what happens. Right now I cannot say it is 80 per cent, 50 per cent or 30. It's difficult."
The yay-or-nay nature of Amass' fate will naturally have knock-on impact on what other business Wednesday are able to go about targeting this month. With that in mind, Pedersen told The Star that the club will look to discuss a time where United inform them of their decision so the Owls are not left short in their attempt to build as competitive a squad as possible.
"We will soon need to set a deadline for when we have to do something, of course," he said when asked.
Yisa Alao made his Sheffield Wednesday debut as a 16-year-old in the Carabao Cup.placeholder image
Yisa Alao made his Sheffield Wednesday debut as a 16-year-old in the Carabao Cup. | Steve Ellis
In Amass' absence in Wednesday's last two outings, sought-after starlet Yisa Alao has caught huge attention at wing-back. Pedersen has already spoken of his admiration for the 17-year-old in efforts against Brentford and Portsmouth and has spoken of the desire to make him a big part of the side in League One next season.
Amid interest from some of the country's biggest clubs, the Owls boss made clear that he sees Alao as a player that will be more involved for the remainder of this season also - with or without the return of Amass.
"It does not matter if Harry is coming back or not, I want to integrate Yisa more and more," Pedersen said. "He is a big asset for us and he can be a big player for us in the future. I really, really hope we can keep him. For Harry, we are still in the conversation and right now I don't know where it will end. I use all the energy to support Yisa and let him play and push him on this. He is doing good."
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