Wednesday are in ninth position heading into the weekend.
Carlos Carvalhal has admitted via Sheffield Wednesday’s official Facebook account that the Owls are waiting for Fernando Forestieri to rediscover his form.
Forestieri was Wednesday’s undoubted star man last season, scoring 15 goals en route to a top-six finish for Carvalhal’s team.
Despite having their promotion hopes dashed by Hull City in May’s play-off final at Wembley, the Owls went into the new campaign bang on form, winning four of their five pre-season fixtures – including one against Portuguese champions Benfica.
And Forestieri, who was key to that run, picked up where he left off on the season’s opening day, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win against Aston Villa.
However, the Italian left his employers stunned the following week, when he refused to travel for the 1-1 draw at Norwich City.
And while the issue was swiftly resolved by Wednesday, Forestieri has struggled to pick himself up in the meantime, with Wednesday losing as many games as they’ve won since then, leaving them ninth in the standings.
Ahead of Sunday’s trip to league leaders Huddersfield Town, Carvalhal told the club’s official Facebook account: “Fernando hasn’t lost his ability but we saw before the incident in six games he scored five goals. After the incident he scored one goal.
“I think it’s something that Fernando must manage in the head, he must move something. It’s not a question of attitude, it’s not a question of what he wants because he’s trying all the time. We like him, the colleagues like him, he wants (it) a lot, the fans like him, we are here to support him, but we are waiting for him – this is the reality.
“I hope that soon he can put all the ability that he has inside the pitch.”
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