Carvalhal is key to enforcer’s big impact

The Sheffield Wednesday midfield enforcer has featured 16 times already this term – equalling the highest number of games he has managed in a season so far.

The reason for former Chelsea player Hutchinson’s main absence in 2015-16 has been entirely self-inflicted by way of missing three games already due to suspension – but in terms of injuries and general fitness, the 26-year-old has never had it so good.

Portuguese head coach Carvalhal has been praised in several quarters for his sterling renaissance work at Hillsborough this season – and Hutchinson has added to that growing number.

On his regular run of games, Hutchinson, who has hailed Carvalhal’s ‘professional’ regime, said: “It’s 100 per cent, (because of) the gaffer. He is the only manager that has pushed me to train every day – even though some days I am wanting to come off.

“He has played me Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday. I was always confident in my ability and I was at a club for 17 years at the top flight, but with my fitness, I was never confident.

“If the physio told me to take a couple of days off, I’d always do it.

“I thought that was the best pattern. But now I want to do more and more and the gaffer is reining me in. He’s very good and looks after me. He brought me out after a couple of games to rest me and I owe it to the gaffer, his staff and the physios.”