Sheffield Wednesday are expected to be without the striker in both of their play-off semi-final ties.
Sheffield Wednesday have been dealt a blow with the news that Gary Hooper is unlikely to feature in either of their play-off semi-final ties against Huddersfield Town.
Hooper only returned from a four-and-a-half-month lay-off at the start of April and helped the Owls to six wins out of six before injury struck.
Wednesday have undoubtedly missed the 29-year-old’s goals and link up play this season, giving head coach Carlos Carvalhal a problem to solve ahead of his side’s upcoming Terriers double-header.
Here are three ways in which the Portuguese could replace Hooper:
Stick with Winnall and play two up front
Hooper’s return saw Sam Winnall drop out of Carvalhal’s plans, despite scoring in his previous outing at old club Barnsley. However, the the 26-year-old showed no lack of sharpness in Sunday’s regular season finale against Fulham – in which he scored his 14th goal of a debut Championship campaign.
Pros: He’s scored the most goals of any Wednesday player this season.
Cons: He’s less effective than Hooper outside of the 18-yard box, and playing two out-and-out strikers could leave the Owls short against a likely five-man Huddersfield midfield.
Unleash Fernando in behind
In a situation that would have been almost unthinkable beforehand, Wednesday’s best run of form this season occurred largely in the absence of talisman Fernando Forestieri – who hasn’t started a league game since early March due to injury. However, when fit, the Italian has the ability to decide any game at this level.
Pros: He’s perhaps the most like-for-like Hooper replacement (a fish as opposed to a potato, as Carlos would say), and the best his side have at winning back possession high up the pitch.
Cons: We’ve no idea how fit he actually is.
Revert to last season’s midfield three
With Sam Hutchinson and Kieran Lee building up their fitness against Fulham, Carvalhal could choose to deploy last season’s first-choice central midfield [Barry Bannan being the other member] for the first time since New Year’s Day.
Pros: It would make the Owls difficult to play through, which could be particularly useful in the away leg.
Cons: Few, really. Although with only David Jones beyond them, it would perhaps require at least one of Hutchinson or Lee to see out the full 90.
How should Sheffield Wednesday approach Sunday’s trip to Huddersfield Town?
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