The striker has been absent since August but is back in full training.
Sheffield Wednesday’s Lucas Joao
Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal has told the club’s official website that Portuguese striker Lucas Joao is likely to be in contention for a return to first team duties for this weekend’s clash with Fulham.
The 23-year-old has not featured since the 1-1 draw with Brentford in August, but is set to be back for Wednesday’s latest trip to West London on Saturday.
“The break was a good time for training, to improve the team and to recover most of the players,” Carvalhal said.
“We have Lucas back to normal training, he is training normal all this week. It’s good to have as many options as possible – all of our attackers are completely different. We know Lucas is a player with pace and a good future,” he added.
Joao scored eight goals in his first season with the Owls, including a fine header in Wednesday’s memorable 3-0 win over Arsenal in the League Cup.
Sheffield Wednesday Manager Carlos Carvahal celebrates after Lucas Joao (not pictured) scores the second goal for Sheffield Wednesday against Arsenal
Injuries have held back his progress this time around, but he is now back to fight for his place with the likes of Gary Hooper, Fernando Forestieri and Steven Fletcher.
Quite where Joao fits into Carvalhal’s plans is not clear, though it is likely that he will start on the bench at Craven Cottage.
Joao’s fellow Portuguese striker Marco Matias remains on the sidelines, though he is expected to begin training this month and should be back in contention before too long.
Marco Matias scores the third goal for Sheffield Wednesday
Elsewhere, promising young goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith is back in training as he nears a return from his finger injury.
The 20-year-old is not quite ready to return to the matchday squad, but will soon be fit enough to compete with fellow youngster Cameron Dawson to act as understudy to Keiren Westwood.
Consecutive defeats at the hands of Derby and Ipswich prior to the international break saw the Owls drop out of the top six, but the condensed nature of the Championship means they remain just two points adrift of the play-off places.
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