Fernando Forestieri appears to be back at Sheffield Wednesday earlier than expected

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The Argentine hasn’t played for Sheffield Wednesday since the start of December.

Fernando Forestieri may have returned to Sheffield Wednesday earlier than expected.

The Argentine forward has missed the past month with a hamstring problem, for which he has been doing rehabilitation work in London.

And he was due back after this weekend’s FA Cup Third Round tie against Luton Town, according to the Owls’ coach, Lee Bullen.

But in a post added to his Instagram story on Thursday morning, Forestieri appeared to be readying his kit for training at Wednesday.

Whether that would be training with the first team or in isolation remains to be seen, however.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Birmingham City on New Year’s Day, Bullen said: “He should be back after the weekend, I think. Whether he’s ready to go into full training I’m not sure, we’ll just have to assess him at that point.

“But he seems to have done a heck of a lot – we’ve been sent videos every day, the doctor’s had an update every day from the physio down in London. He seems to be progressing very well.

“But the last thing we want to do with Fernando is (repeat what happened last time), we brought him back in when he felt he was 100 per cent, he’s played a game, he’s a played a second game and then it’s gone again.

“The worst thing is having to stop-start, especially with the hamstring situation. I felt that at the end of my career that’s exactly what hindered me. So I’ve always been told that if you feel 100 per cent fit then you’re still a week away from being ready.”

Top scorer in each of his first two seasons at Sheffield Wednesday, Forestieri has only played 24 times throughout the past 18 months due to various ailments.

The 28-year-old was temporarily pursued by police over his failure to attend court last week, although the Owls later clarified that a new date has been set after neither they nor the player’s legal team were made aware of the previous one.