Man Utd gem facing Championship relegation upheaval as Sheffield Wednesday slapped with 12-point deduction
Man Utd youngster Harry Amass is on loan at Sheffield Wednesday this season - with the South Yorkshire club now in administration
Manchester United youngster Harry Amass is facing a tough task to avoid relegation with loan club Sheffield Wednesday after the Championship side were placed into administration on Friday.
The South Yorkshire club have been hit with an automatic 12-point deduction by the English Football League. Julian Pitts, Kris Wigfield and Paul Stanley of Begbies Traynor have been appointed joint-administrators after it emerged that HMRC were due to issue the club with a winding-up petition.
The club owner Dejphon Chansiri is deeply unpopular but talks are reportedly underway with potential new investors already. Any possible new owner deal would not see the 12-point deduction overturned.
Fans had been protesting Chansiri for a number of weeks and not turning up for games amid several instances of late payment of wages to players and staff.
Sheffield Wednesday statement on administration
A club statement on Friday read: “The administrators were appointed following significant efforts to agree a sale to a credible future custodian in recent weeks which unfortunately could not be concluded and amid rising pressure from creditors.”
Kris Wigfield, joint administrator and managing partner at Begbies Traynor, based in Sheffield, said: “The joint administrators have taken over the running of the club with immediate effect to protect the interests of creditors, and to ensure Sheffield Wednesday can continue operating while we seek a new owner as swiftly as possible.
“Like many football clubs, it has been trading at a significant loss for several years, with those losses historically funded by the former owner Mr Chansiri.
“Due to increased financial pressure on the club, the owner has chosen to place the club and the stadium company into administration which will enable us to market the club and the stadium as a whole, which is great news for supporters of the club.”
The Owls were on six points after 11 games but are now on minus six points, 15 adrift of safety following their 12-point deduction. Players have called on fans to turn out and support them again in a bid to help them survive.
How Harry Amass has been performing in the Championship for Sheffield Wednesday
Amass has been enjoying a successful loan spell at Wednesday, despite the highly-emotional and significant off-field events. He has made seven appearances for the club, starting every Championship game since his arrival late in the transfer window.
Speaking last month, Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen was full of praise for the United youngster. He said: "I see a young man who is growing a lot right now. I see a young man who, mentally, is going to be stronger and stronger.
"I also see a young man who values the defensive stuff as much as the offensive stuff. This is what he has to do when, one day, he goes back again and wants to take the next level. “
He added: "He is a young man [going] in the right direction."
Before his loan move to South Yorkshire, Amass played seven times for United’s senior side after coming through the club’s Under-18s and Under21s sides. For Sheffield Wednesday, he has averaged 2.4 tackles per game along with 2.7 clearances.