Sheffield Wednesday: Double fitness boost for Owls but Joe Bennett deal off

Steven Fletcher went off injured on his Sheffield Wednesday debut

Owls captain Glenn Loovens is ahead of schedule after ankle surgery over the summer.

While striker Steven Fletcher has returned to training after a horrific head injury - picked up on his debut against Aston Villa on Saturday - left him with a large cut on his forehead.

The former Sunderland striker will need to wear some sort of head protection, but is in contention to play at Carrow Road.

“He is training normal,” Owls boss Carlos Carvalhal told The Yorkshire Post.

“He will have to wear some sort of protective headgear but he’s training.

“He did a test yesterday and he felt okay. He started today with a normal session with his colleagues.”

Loovens’s return would be a huge boost for Wednesday, who have been forced to play midfielder Sam Hutchinson at centre-half alongside Tom Lees, such is their shortage of central defenders.

Carvalhal is a big fan of the Dutchman, and rates him as “the best captain of a team I have had”.

He said: “Glenn is doing very well, he has had a fantastic recovery. He is on the pitch now, and is not far away.

“I don’t want to put pressure on the medical department, or Glenn.

“What I can say is that he’s in a good way. When a player starts to run on the pitch, it means that he is not far away.

“All players are different, they recover differently. Glenn is making a good recovery.

“We will be happy when he is back, he is probably the best captain of a team I have had.

“He’s a good personality, even if he is not present on the pitch, he is in the group.

“We care about him, that’s why we extended his contract last season.

“I was captain of my teams often, and understand the role of the captain.

“It’s very important when we have our captain in the team.”

The expected arrival of Villa left-back Joe Bennett has been shelved, though.

Reports in the Midlands claim Villa’s new owner Tony Xia blocked the transfer at the 11th hour - despite both clubs agreeding a deal, and the player sorting out terms and passing a medical.

Carvalhal wants four new players before the transfer deadline this month: a centre-half, left-back, midfielder and winger.