Both Sheffield Wednesday and West Brom are unlikely to remember one particular January deal | OneFootball

Neither Sheffield Wednesday or West Brom are likely to have fond memories of winger Callum McManaman.

The 2016-17 season was the year many Sheffield Wednesday supporters believed they would achieve promotion to the Premier League, but it ultimately ended in play-off heartbreak.

After Dejphon Chansiri bought Wednesday from Milan Mandaric in January 2015, he stated that his objective was to lead the club back to the Premier League within his first two full years of ownership.

Chansiri came incredibly close to achieving his goal in his first year of ownership, but after a memorable season, the Owls were beaten 1-0 by Hull City in the play-off final at Wembley in May 2016.

Despite their devastation at missing out on a top flight return, many Wednesday supporters believed they would be far better equipped to compete for promotion the following season, particularly after some high-profile additions in the summer transfer window.

The likes of Almen Abdi, Adam Reach and Steven Fletcher all arrived at Hillsborough in the summer, and with the Owls firmly in promotion contention, Chansiri backed manager Carlos Carvalhal once again in January, allowing him to bring in Morgan Fox, Callum McManaman, Sam Winnall and Jordan Rhodes.

The loan signing of prolific goalscorer Rhodes, with an obligation to buy for a club-record £10 million in the summer, was Wednesday's statement signing of the January window, but the addition of winger McManaman also generated plenty of excitement.

Sheffield Wednesday had high hopes for Callum McManaman loan deal

McManaman made his breakthrough at Wigan Athletic, and he hit the headlines after he was named Man of the Match in his side's famous 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May 2013.

After a host of impressive performances for the Latics, McManaman made the move to West Bromwich Albion for a fee of £4.75 million in January 2015, but he struggled to make his mark at The Hawthorns, registering just two assists in 25 appearances for the Baggies, and he was loaned out to Wednesday in January 2017.

While McManaman found it tough at Albion, he was still highly regarded from his days at Wigan, and with the Owls sitting sixth in the Championship table, there was optimism that he could help the South Yorkshire outfit kick on to achieve promotion.

McManaman's Wednesday career got off to a positive start as he provided an assist on just his third appearance for the club in the 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town, but he failed to build on that moment.

In fairness to McManaman, it was always going to be hard for him to break into the team as Ross Wallace and Fernando Forestieri were so well established on either flank, but the 33-year-old did not do enough to convince Carvalhal to give him more of a chance.

Tellingly, McManaman was not even included in the matchday squad for either of the Owls' play-off semi-final legs against Huddersfield as they were beaten on penalties by the Terriers, showing just how much he fell out of favour during his loan spell.

As McManaman did not make the impact that Wednesday expected, he will be remembered as a transfer flop, and West Brom will have an equally negative view of the loan deal.

Albion would have hoped that McManaman could rediscover his form at Hillsborough, and that would either have allowed them to bring him back into the fold when he returned or recoup some of the transfer fee they paid for him by sanctioning his permanent exit.

As it turned out, the Baggies did sell McManaman to Sunderland in the summer of 2017, but it is highly unlikely that they would have received anywhere near £4.75 million for his services, and after his move to the Stadium of Light, he reflected on his underwhelming loan stint with the Owls.

"I only started two games [at Sheffield Wednesday]. I didn’t really get enough time to be honest," McManaman told the Sunderland Echo.

"It was a frustrating spell. I was behind because I hadn’t played that season and the manager already had his team set.

"It is harder when you are on loan, especially for a six-month loan. I did well when I came off the bench but it is hard when you go into a club on loan for six months in January."

Unfortunately for McManaman, his time with the Black Cats did not go much better, and after going on to represent Luton Town, Melbourne Victory and Tranmere Rovers, he returned to Wigan for a third spell last summer.

McManaman's role in the Latics' FA Cup success will always be his lasting legacy, but for a player that Roberto Martinez once predicted would be "a real asset for English football", it is fair to say that he has not quite been able to fulfil his potential.