At the club since 2015, Barry Bannan has build himself something of a legacy at for Sheffield Wednesday, who returned to the Championship under the midfielder’s captaincy.
During his near decade at the Yorkshire club, Bannan has played under a string of managers… some better than others.
He’s now waxed lyrical about Carlos Carvalhal, under whom he nearly returned to the Premier League with the Owls.
In a chat with Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, Bannan explained he was able to enjoy his football and player with a lot of freedom under the now SC Braga manager.
“It was great for me to meet Carlos at that point in my career,” the 34-year-old explained. “He gave me the freedom to enjoy my football again. He made me feel good, as if I was playing with the freedom of a child”
“The best advice he gave me was to tell me to only do what I wanted on the pitch, to always have the ball in my possession and to put it wherever I wanted.
“But he also wanted my guarantee that, when I lost it, I would be the first to react.”
Bannan also talked about the Portuguese coach’s methods and described him as someone who has modern-day ideas and proudly preaches them.
“He defends a style of play that adapts to modern football. He is passionate about the game and has a winning spirit. He is an incredible coach.”
Carlos Carvalhal worked his way into the hearts of Sheffield Wednesday fans whilst he was at the club, and the big shame is they couldn’t seal that promotion, losing out to Hull City at the final hurdle.
The manager will now be looking to have a good season in Portugal with Braga, although he’ll always have an eye out for the Owls.
