Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore has opened up on the decision to cut Nottingham Forest winger Alex Mighten's loan short.
The 20-year-old was due to spend the season at Hillsborough but after struggling to become a regular starter and being used in a number of different positions, he has returned to the City Ground. Mighten is now unable to represent a third club having already played for the Reds and Wednesday this season.
Despite the winger's talent, he faces a tough task of trying to break into the Reds' squad to gain more minutes this season. Speaking about the decision to send Mighten back to his parent club, Moore explained: "It was football dynamics.
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"Alex is an exceptional man and it was one of the hardest decisions that I have had to make since becoming a manager. To look him in the face and talk to him on that level was a real, real tough decision.
I’ve worked as a loans manager and I know the dynamics that come with loans. I understand what loans are, I’ve had to put people in clubs and I’ve had to take people out of clubs. No loan is ever a failure. If it goes well you ask ‘Why did it go well?’, if it goes badly you ask, ‘Why? How can we be better at it?’
"That can be on-the-pitch dynamics, living away from home, there are so many variables that football present. It was a footballing decision. He’s an impeccable individual, a wonderful player and we thank Alex for his time here and giving us the platform he’s given us at this stage. We sincerely wish him all the best and thank Nottingham Forest and wish him well."
Reds boss Steve Cooper had expressed his frustration over the Owls' decision to end Mighten's loan early. He said: " Alex has come back to us and as he's already played for us, he can't play for anyone else now. I have my personal views on that, I think if you bring someone in on loan you commit to it.
"There was a lot of interest in him in the summer; he was a very sought after lad at those sort of levels. We chose carefully about where he went. Don’t get me wrong, you have to do the business as a player, but we chose carefully over where he went and the staff he went with, thinking that would be a good fit for coming back and trying to push to get into our team. For me, you give that trust to a club and they commit to it."
"I can understand it," Moore responded. "In the loans manager role I’ve had before I do understand that. It’s a football decision. It was one of the hardest things in my football career to talk to him. But this is part and parcel of the job."
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