Soccer Football – FA Cup – Fourth Round – Liverpool v Cardiff City – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – February 6, 2022 Cardiff City’s Mark McGuinness applauds the fans after the match REUTERS/Peter Powell
Cardiff City centre-back Mark McGuinness has revealed he was happy with his progress at former loan club Sheffield Wednesday but wants to compete at the highest possible level, speaking to his team’s media team.
The Bluebirds are currently bottom of the Championship and find themselves in a contrasting situation to the Owls, who are currently in a strong position to secure promotion from League One, with their consistency paying dividends at this stage.
On loan to Wednesday in the summer, the Irishman would have invested in the project at Hillsborough with Darren Moore’s men looking to return to the second tier on their second request.
Think you’re a die-hard Cardiff City fan? Try to get a score of 20/20 in this club quiz
However, Cardiff recalled him last month after being praised numerous times for his performances in South Yorkshire, and his presence was arguably needed in the Welsh capital as their parent club found themselves limited in what they could do. do in the transfer market during the winter. .
This was due to their transfer embargo, and he recalled that McGuinness allowed them to add another option to their defense without needing to buy another player.
Despite enjoying a successful spell with the Owls, the defender is pleased to be back in the second division.
He said: “I was doing well at Sheffield and the team was good. But I wanted to be playing at the highest level possible.
“Going back and playing in the Championship is my goal. I have always liked playing here. It’s nice to be back playing for the fans and alongside these players.”
The verdict:
It is probably more to the Irishman’s advantage to play in the second tier despite morale being good at Hillsborough, because he will want to prove himself against high-caliber players.
To be fair, the standard of coaching at South Yorkshire must be quite high considering the caliber of players Moore has at his disposal, but on match days he probably won’t be put to the test much.
He probably has a bigger role at Cardiff City Stadium than at Hillsborough, because keeping the Bluebirds afloat in their current division could prove crucial to them as they seek to remain a force in British football.
His problems in front of goal also make his defense even more important, and figures like McGuinness will be even more crucial in the coming months with Callum Robinson recently ruled out of action.
However, the Bluebirds’ win was Wednesday’s miss, because he did exceptionally well in the third tier and it was clear he belonged in a higher tier when looking at some of his performances for the Owls earlier in the season.