Sheffield Wednesday v Doncaster Rovers: Ethan Galbraith joining from Manchester United boosts Richie Wellens’ morale

Galbraith goes straight into the squad for the League One trip to Sheffield Wednesday after joining on a season-long loan from Manchester United yesterday.

The 20-year-old has only played senior football three times, twice for Northern Ireland and once as a Europa League substitute, but Wellens thinks he is ready to “take the plunge”.

“Ability-wise he’s right up there,” he argues. “He has a real chance of being a top player but he needs at some stage to take the plunge and prove he can handle the physicality.

“I’ve watched him a lot over the years and over the last two or three months it feels like his body’s developing into a man’s. I think he’s a Doncaster Rovers-type player.

“I’ve known (Northern Ireland manager) Ian Barraclough for a long, long time and he speaks very highly of him. I spoke to him last year when I was contemplating taking Ethan on loan and he didn’t feel he was quite ready for it physically.

“He’s a Paul Scholes-type midfield player who can dominate the ball, he never gives the ball away, touch wood. He can see a pass, long or short, he can drill it, whip it through lines, he’s a real top footballer.

“I went to watch him against Kidderminster on Friday of last week for the Under-23s. They’re an established National North team who were quite physical, quite aggressive with him, and he was the best player on the pitch by a country mile, his fitness looked good.”

Wellens was downbeat speaking to the media on Monday after an opening-day defeat to Wimbledon but Galbraith’s arrival and Tuesday’s League Cup performance at Walsall, where Rovers won on penalties, have lifted spirits.

“Before Wimbledon training was really good and we were really confident we were going to get a good performance but it never materialised – too passive, too deep,” he says. “But as long as you learn from that, we made a good step at Walsall and now we need to make a bigger step.

“In (John) Bostock, (Matt) Smith (missing today with Covid-19), Galbraith and Ben Close I think I’ve got four really, really good footballers (in central midfield) that can pass a ball and if they’ve got runners in front of them they can control a game or play into the spaces in behind.

“Now we need some pace in the team and people who will not always come to the ball.”

Wellens’s vision is a team that dominates possession and he sees that as important today.

“Barry Bannan’s a top player and if we allow him the freedom in the middle of the park he’ll win the game,” he warns.

“I’ve played at Sheffield Wednesday loads of times, there’s a fantastic crowd which can be a massive positive but can also be the biggest negative because they’re used to seeing Chris Waddle and John Sheridan and playing in the Premier League.

“It is a top club but they (the fans) can get frustrated so I want us to go there and dominate the ball.”