Murphy Cooper is expected to be out for three to four weeks with a muscle injury, but emergency signing Seny Dieng may not be needed for all of that time.

The Owls made Dieng their second emergency loan signing of the season when they loaned the Senegal international from Middlesbrough on Friday.

Signings of this type have to be made on a week-to-week basis, and must play in every game they are on the books for, but the hope is that Pierce Charles may be back from injury before Cooper.

Pedersen admitted that this time last week he had hoped the former Barnsley goalkeeper would be able to battle on at least until after Sunday's noon derby at Sheffield United.

"We were all surprised that Murphy couldn't keep on going," admitted manager Pedersen. "He got a scan and we got the answer very late on Tuesday evening I think.

"We had an idea (by then) that it could be the situation and he will be out now for around four weeks.

"Then Kevin (Beadell, Wednesday's head of recruitment) and Flav (goalkeeping coach Darryl Flahavan) tried to make a list for which potential goalkeepers there could be and then we took the strongest one that was possible."

The Owls loaned Cooper from Queens Park Rangers after Charles suffered his first serious shoulder injury of the campaign. The first caused them to loan Ethan Horvath in the first half of the campaign, then Joe Lumley for two matches when the American picked up a suspension.

EMERGENCY SIGNING: Middlesbrough goalkeeper Seny Dieng (Image: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

placeholder image — EMERGENCY SIGNING: Middlesbrough goalkeeper Seny Dieng (Image: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

"It's crazy, it's unbelievable," said Pedersen. "Two times with Pierce, now with Murphy.

"But I'm really happy with the solution we have found.

"He (Cooper) felt it a little bit before the (Millwall) game and then through the game. After 20 minutes he would not really kick long any more. That's why he started to build up with short goal-kicks.

"But we hoped that he could come through another week and let's see after the derby game. But there was no chance that he could train again."

INJURY: Murphy Cooper (Image: Steve Ellis)

The good news, though, is that Charles was handling the ball in training at Hillsborough on Friday.

"It was nice to see Pierce take a ball with his hands again in training today," said Pedersen. "He trained really well.

"Let's see if it's one or two weeks before he'll be back but the first step is that we have a seven days' loan."

Dieng will have two days to train with his new team-mates ahead of his debut at Bramall Lane on Sunday.

"First we have to get a conversation with him and to get a feeling," said Pedersen.

"Today all the focus was on our offensive gameplan, and what is his job in this, to give him a big clarity. He has a lot of things to think about. Now, Flav is sitting with him about the defensive stuff – the offensive players from United, which type of finishing (they prefer), which type of crossing, all those things to prepare him in the best possible way.

"And then tomorrow we'll go through some of those things on the pitch.

"It's very important (to learn) the principles for our defensive position, crossing, how to organise the defending in relation to the strategy we have, because it means a lot for his position in the goal. If we organise in the way we want, he can stay more central."

Cooper is the Owls' only fresh injury, with namesake Liam in contention to start at centre-back after being on the bench at home to Millwall.

Unless results on Saturday send them down sooner, defeat will mean Wednesday are mathematically relegated from the Championship, the earliest a team has gone down.