Young Lion George Hirst to Leave Sheffield Wednesday for First Team Football

England, as an international body have shown promising signs that their gap between them and other great International teams has shortened. 

The next few generations looks to have England finally ready to compete for international honours. England's Young Lions continue to impress at all levels, but there's still a case for youth players finding minutes for their respective clubs at senior level.

George Hirst is another example of this baffling case, as he and Sheffield Wednesday represent a palpable issue for English youth players across the country.

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The Sheffield Wednesday striker has netted 15 goals in 24 caps for England across various youth levels, but this has not been enough to thaw himself out of his freeze from the Wednesday first team.

Hirst, 18, is the son of former Wednesday hero David Hirst, and has come up through the ranks at Hillsborough having been tipped for stardom with the Owls.

Though, Hirst will be out of contract at the end of the season, and his reluctance to re-sign with Wednesday could be another factor why manager, Carlos Carvalhal fails to include him. 

The Daily Mail report that the player has now realised that he must leave Hillsborough, as the Owls 'don't have his best interests at heart.'

While Hirst was scoring 40 goals across different age levels last season, the Owls were busy stockpiling more senior strikers such as, Steven Fletcher, Gary Hooper, Jordan Rhodes and Sam Winnall, which effectively blindsided Hirst's route to the first team.

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Hirst has not played for Wednesday at any age level this season, and Carvalhal said it was "completely out of my orbit.

"He's not a player who is involved with us. 'I am the manager but I'm not a person to do contracts and talk about these things."

Hirst's only competitive football comes from, no surprise, with England. After this international break he will face the prospect of no competitive action until the Under 19s meet again at the end of February.  

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This is another saddening case for a promising youth who was named in team of the tournament at Toulon in June, scoring four goals for the under 20s.

Wednesday rejected a bid from Leicester in August worth £2m and Leeds had a formal approach turned down. However, both clubs, as well as others, will be on alert as Hirst's contract debacle stagnates towards his free agency next summer