Sheffield Wednesday were humiliated by Blackburn Rovers at the weekend after they suffered a 5-0 defeat at Hillsborough, moving the side from playoff contention into mid-table obscurity.
The Owls’ afternoon took a turn for the worse when Massimo Luongo was dubiously sent off by the referee with the game still at 1-0, but utter capitulation quickly ensued.
Garry Monk opted for Sam Winnall upfront again while Kieran Lee kept his place in midfield. It meant that Sam Hutchinson had to settle for the bench for a second successive game.
What’s the situation?
The 30-year-old defensive midfielder has slipped out of contention in recent weeks, starting just two of Wednesday’s last seven league matches with the Owls winning three games in that run.
During those victories, Hutchinson has only played a total of five minutes. He wasn’t even named in the matchday squad for their historic FA Cup victory over Brighton a few weeks ago.
He was brought on at half-time against Rovers, but the game was already out of sight at 3-0 with the home side also down to ten men.
Of course, players will dip in and out of favour throughout the season, but these omissions come doing the final few months of Hutchinson’s contract.
Because of that, his future is already in doubt – and the latest snubs drop a worrying hint about whether he fits into Monk’s long-term plans.
Future in doubt
The former Chelsea man has been at the club since 2014 when former manager Stuart Gray signed him permanently following a successful loan spell.
He’s gone on to feature 153 times since, but the only legacy forged seems to be his ill-discipline as the veteran has picked up a massive 57 bookings in that time, meaning he averages a card every 2.8 matches, via Transfermarkt.
Hutchinson has already been dealt two suspensions this season for his quick accumulation of yellow cards, and with his contract set to expire this summer, those kind of absences certainly won’t help his cause.
Monk has started to lose faith in him as he’s barely featured since mid-December, not at least as much as he did when Monk was appointed in September – he only missed one game of his first nine in charge.
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As he enters the final months of his contract, Hutchinson’s long-term future at Hillsborough looks bleak – recent team selections are another worrying indicator.
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