Michael Ihiekwe was originally listed in Sheffield Wednesday’s starting line-up for their match against Stoke City, but a last-minute change was made after he was forced to abandon the warm-up. Manager Danny Röhl revealed that the decision to pull Ihiekwe was due to a particularly nasty injury. The defender, who had recently been shortlisted for the Championship Player of the Month for March, had been struggling with a knock picked up during training on Thursday. Despite the concern, Ihiekwe still made the trip to Staffordshire, and the coaching staff opted to include him in the starting eleven following a morning assessment on matchday.
However, just after the line-up was announced at 2pm, Ihiekwe was spotted leaving the pitch during the team’s preparations. Roughly 20 minutes before kick-off, the club confirmed that he would be replaced by Dominic Iorfa. Röhl later disclosed that Ihiekwe had suffered a deep cut, so severe that wearing football boots became unbearable. “He got a kick in training and ended up with a bad cut,” Röhl explained. “He tried to warm up but simply couldn’t manage it. It’s frustrating — we’ve had to change our defensive line so many times, there’s no consistency. Still, it opens the door for others to step in and prove themselves.”
Unfortunately, Iorfa, who stepped in for Ihiekwe, didn’t last the full match either. He was taken off before the hour mark and replaced by young defender Gabriel Otegbayo, who hadn’t even expected to be part of the matchday squad and had travelled as cover. Röhl later clarified that Iorfa’s substitution wasn’t due to injury but was instead a tactical adjustment. “It was a decision based on how the game was unfolding,” he said. “Gabriel did OK — those minutes were valuable for him.”
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