Joining Sheffield Wednesday is the best thing I've ever done - but I left because I fell out with Garry Monk

The defensive midfielder first joined the Owls on loan from Chelsea in 2014 and it was not long before he was a favourite among the Hillsborough faithful.

His move was soon made permanent and he spent six years on the books of the Owls. Wednesday announced his departure in the summer of 2020, with his exit followed by a surprise switch to Pafos in Cyrpus.

At 35, Hutchinson now represents League Two side AFC Wimbledon after putting pen to paper on a short-term deal.

Speaking to his new club’s official website, Hutchinson said: “I got sent out to Wednesday and it’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done.

“I loved Wednesday and I would say that as much as Chelsea is my club, Wednesday is like my club. I spent eight years there, my two boys were born in Sheffield, and we were very much part of the community.

“Everyone at the club was really good to me, like really good to me. And the fanbase was brilliant, they knew what they got with me, and I started playing midfield when I was 24 - just started running around kicking people.

“I moved to Pafos because I fell out with Garry Monk, and I had America but there was trouble there at the time and my wife didn’t want to move with the kids, so I moved to Pafos by myself.”

Life in Cyprus did not work out for Hutchinson and his love affair with the Owls was not yet over. He returned to S6 in January 2021, adding to his Wednesday appearances tally until his third exit in the summer of 2022.

He said: “It just wasn’t right [at Pafos], and then obviously Garry Monk got the sack and I went straight back to Wednesday.”

Hutchinson spent two years with Reading after leaving South Yorkshire, departing the Royals at the end of the 2023/24 season. His new club, AFC Wimbledon, sit fourth in the League Two table.

Speaking to The Star in 2020 after Hutchinson had suggested his face did not fit at Hillsborough, Monk said: “I’ve said what I said about those players.

“I had those conversations with them and I made it clear about what we need to do moving forward and all that side of it, I’ve been very clear on that.

“At the end of the day I need to focus on the players that are here. We’re doing good things and we’re trying to move it in the right direction. We need to stay focused on that and not get into tittle-tattle or anything like that.”