Matches on the horizon in major step forward for Momo Diaby's Sheffield Wednesday return

The gangly midfielder sustained a serious foot injury on his Owls debut against Preston North End back in August and was not included in their 25-man EFL squad registration list. Rules mean Diaby will not be able to be registered unless in 'extraordinary circumstances', rendering him sidelined until a new list is submitted in January.

The timeline of his comeback from injury may not have allowed that to be possible in any case, but after images were published of him training with teammates at Middlewood Road during the international break, manager Danny Röhl confirmed great strides have been taken towards recovery.

Full training involvement is still to come for Diaby, who will feature in matches with the club's under-21 side in the coming weeks before he is considered for the first team when the time comes.

"It's good to see him and have him back on the pitch," Röhl said. "He is part of the team, he cannot do everything at the moment but it is the first step. Like any injured player, he has first to come back, be part of the team in some small exercises, some individual stuff and then have the process to come back as close as possible to the team.

"He will need some minutes with the under-21s to get ready and then in the next two or three weeks he will be closer and closer to the first team. The first big step is good for the mind. He has trained a lot of his injury alone and it is good that he is able to be part of the team now."