Duo on 'Luggy' future - exclusive

Before the Barnsley game on Saturday, speculation was rife that the most popular boss The Owls have had since Trevor Francis’ first year at Hillsborough was set to move north of the border to be with struggling United.

Sturrock laughed off the rumours but did state that he would like to return to Dundee later on in his career after he finishes the job at hand at Wednesday - but did the reports before the match affect Wednesday’s game?

“I don’t think there was anyone on the team bus, not even the Scottish contingent who knows Paul’s history well, that were concerned with the rumours,” Bullen told Footymad.

“No one believes that he will leave a club the size and potential of Wednesday. Obviously he is a legend up there at Dundee United but I am 110per cent certain that he won’t leave the club and I think that he believes that there is better work to be had down here in England than there is in Scotland.

“You have to remember though that he is a professional man and has family up there and they may want to move back closer to home perhaps. He is totally loved by the fans up there and he has had a great career up there so there is definitely a pull but I just think in my own heart, and reading between the lines a bit that he will be here for a long time to come.”

Striker Peacock meanwhile was also puzzled by the news and was also adamant that the talk of Sturrock leaving was nothing more than paper talk.

He said: “We read it in the paper before the game but the fact of the matter is that he is the Sheffield Wednesday manager. I can’t see him going. Why leave a club the size of Wednesday, a club which is now on the up? I can’t see any reason why he would want to leave.

"I know it’s his team up in Scotland we are talking about but if you move from here you have to move to a bigger club and there’s not too many of them bigger than this club.

"We did have a laugh and a joke about it, of course we did. You are always going to get speculation, what we read in the paper is that Dundee United wanted him and not that he was actually leaving but it is all paper talk at the moment and we take it with a pinch of salt. Hopefully he will be here for a long time because he has got us going on a good run at the moment and the team are playing well."