George Hirst’s father David has lifted the lid on the Town striker’s exit from Sheffield Wednesday early in his career.

Hirst junior, 26, left the Owls, where his dad is a club legend, as a teenager in 2018 having made two senior sub appearances, joining Belgian side OH Leuven and then their sister club Leicester City a year later, a switch which angered many Hillsborough regulars, who have made their thoughts clear whenever he has visited with the Blues.

Hirst senior, now 58, moved on from a coaching role with Wednesday soon afterwards and has been only an irregular attendee at games since.

The former England international says the situation was entirely down to recently departed Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri.

“George’s situation at the club was brought on and brought about by the owner of the football club, by no one else,” he told the All Wednesday YouTube channel.

“One thing that George, or myself, or any representative of George has ever done is answer to what Mr Chansiri said had happened. We had no need to answer to lies.

“We’ve never put anything in papers, we don’t do anything on social media, I don’t speak about at dinners or anything like that. That’s because he caused the issue.

“He [Chansiri] came out and said George wanted £10,000 a week. The first-team players weren’t on that! Why would a 16 or 17-year-old kid want that, whose dad has been at the club, has been at the game, likes to think he knows the game? It was just ludicrous.”

The Town striker, who faces the Foxes today and the Owls at Portman Road next Saturday, was highly rated at the time as a regular in England age group teams alongside the likes of Andre Dozzell, Flynn Downes, Tristan Nydam and Nick Hayes.

Hirst senior continued: “The situation came about when we were on the way to Nottingham Forest with the U18s and as we got off the coach, George was told he couldn’t play the game - and he wasn’t allowed to play for Sheffield Wednesday at any level until he signed a new contract. Now if that’s not bullying someone into doing something I don’t know what is.

“Me being a stubborn centre-forward as I am, we said no. George was still under contract for 12 months, he was under no obligation to sign a new contract and whatever they offered him, whether it was good, bad or indifferent, George had no obligation to sign that contract. He chose not to for the simple reason he didn’t play football for about eight months.

“The owner wouldn’t let him play for any team for eight months. If George had signed any deal with that owner, who has just said he can’t play for eight months? What if he then doesn’t play for five years? His career is finished.

“The chairman put it into George’s hands and we had no option. There were points we told him ‘If that’s what you need to do son, you do it. But look at what he’s just done - and can he do it again?’.

“The answer was yes. So the best answer for everyone at that time was for George to move on from the football club.”

The Scotland international was born and grew up in the Steel City and his father says he still has an affinity for the Owls.

“I think he’s got a little soft spot for Wednesday, he’s said that himself,” he added. “Maybe one day, we don’t know how this game pans out. It could be next week, it could be 10 years, you never know if it happens.”

Photo: Matchday Images