Hirst has been in fine form for Sheffield Wednesday and England’s youth sides this season.
Lee Bullen, the Sheffield Wednesday assistant manager, has hinted that the club are worried about losing teenage striker George Hirst.
Hirst has been in fine form for the Owls’ Under-18 and Under-23 sides this season and recently added another two goals for England’s Under-18s.
In total, the 17-year-old has scored 19 in 15 starts for club and country, prompting calls for him to make the step up to Wednesday’s first team, with Carlos Carvalhal’s side struggling for goals in the Championship.
However, when asked about Hirst – who is the son of Owls legend, David – during an appearance on Sheffield Live TV on Thursday, Bullen gave a guarded response.
“Don’t know who you’re talking about,” he joked. “We’re not talking about him. He’s a player who we don’t want any headlines or media about in case the big boys come along.
“He’s a young lad with a big talent. We’ve got to be careful with him, we can’t over-hype him too much because the pressure put on young lads when they do well is quite scary some times. Add to the fact his surname – it’s a poisoned challis for the kid sometimes – but I tell you what he’s handling it really, really well.
“He’s going to have a great career but we’ve got to be careful we’ve got to manage him correctly. The Championship in comparison to under-18 football, it’s night and day. But we’re delighted with his progress and we’re going to say nothing more about the kid.”
Hirst has appeared just once for Wednesday’s first team – a 2-1 EFL Cup defeat against Cambridge United in August.
Even before then, though, he was linked with a move away from Hillsborough, with Chelsea, Southampton, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Leeds United all keen according to the Daily Mail.
Hirst’s father also played for the Saints and later named not moving from Wednesday to Manchester United as his biggest career regret.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
