Sheffield Wednesday: George Hirst could go out on loan next season

A senior member of Wednesday's coaching staff believes striker George Hirst would benefit from going out on loan next season.
George HirstGeorge Hirst
George Hirst

Hirst, who is set to spearhead England’s attack in the semi-finals of the Toulon tournament today, is one of the brightest prospects in the Owls’ academy.

And the 18-year-old has flourished at youth level, claiming 40 goals for club and country this term. His outstanding form prompted the Owls to promote him to their Under-23s squad in the second half of last season.

Hirst helped Wednesday’s Under-18s reach the FA Youth Cup fifth round and was instrumental in the development squad claiming two pieces of silverware.

The youngster has maintained his fine form in the international arena, finding the back of the net four times in three outings for the Three Lions in France.

Wednesday coach Lee Bullen told The Star: “I think there are two or three in the development squad that need to get first-team experience now.

“There are boys like Jack Stobbs and George Hirst who could do with getting some games under their belts.

“Under-23 football is good up to a point but players learn more from going out and playing in front of a crowd of five or 10,000 people. Players need the experience of people screaming their names when they score a goal or giving them dog’s abuse if they are away from home.

“Players need centre-backs giving them a kick up the backside and the experienced boys whispering in their ears and telling them next time they touch the ball that they are going to get a kick up and down. That is proper football.”

England, who cruised through their qualifying campaign with three wins in a row, will lock horns with Scotland at 14:00 BST at Stade Parsemain.

The Scots qualified as the best-placed runners-up from the three groups. A 2-1 win over Indonesia confirmed their place in the last four.

Ivory Coast go head-to-head with the Czech Republic in the other semi-final.