Sheffield Wednesday manager 'so sad' as injury return timeline for Northern Ireland star revealed
Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen admits he’s “so sad” after confirming Pierce Charles will be out of action “for six to eight weeks” with a shoulder injury – leaving him in a race against time to be fit for Northern Ireland’s World Cup play-off semi-final against Italy.
Charles left Wednesday’s FA Cup tie against Brentford on Saturday in tears and Pedersen has now revealed he’s set for a lengthy absence.
With talisman Conor Bradley already ruled out for the rest of this season having undergone surgery on a serious knee injury, losing Charles for a trip to Bergamo on March 26 would act as another hammer blow for Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill.
Charles missed the entirety of their World Cup qualifying campaign with a similar issue on the opposite shoulder, but returned last month and impressed for the Championship strugglers.
He had established himself as O’Neill’s number one, racking up eight international caps since making his debut against Belarus in October 2024, and generated transfer interest from clubs across Europe.
Charles will now miss a host of matches for Wednesday and Pedersen admits it’s a major blow for the club.
“Of course it's a big blow, most for him but for all of us,” he said. “It's so sad, he has been so strong defensively and offensively.
"He has just been very, very strong and means a lot for our team. He's out now for six to eight weeks and it's his shoulder again but the opposite shoulder from last time.
“It's unlucky that it's happened twice in such a short period and let's hope it's the last one for him and for all of us.
“When he went out from the pitch, we saw a young man that was very, very sad, because he has had this feeling already.
“He was in a good flow and going so well, strong defensively and strong with his feet.
“So of course he is sad, and now he is off until Monday, he can rest a little bit and then we will start the next step with him.”