Hull City head coach Ruben Selles has hinted that Louie Barry could make a surprise appearance back at Hull City after the international break.
Barry has been back at parent club Aston Villa's Bodymoor Heath training ground since damaging his knee ligaments in the first half of the 1-0 win at Sunderland last month, though he was with the Tigers players at The Hawthorns on Saturday to see their battling 1-1 draw against West Brom.
It has been expected the talented Villa playmaker would miss the rest of the season after initial fears about the severity of his knee injury, but Barry is making good progress and could yet return sooner than expected.
Selles says he's been working on the theory that the January loan arrival would not feature in the remaining weeks of the season, but the mere suggestion that the 21-year-old could play a part in the remaining weeks brings a smile to the Spaniard's face.
"He's going well," Selles explained when asked about Barry's progress. "He's going according to schedule, so let's see if there are any setbacks to that, and he can be back with us before the end of the season.
"We've had conversations (about when he might be back), but I'll be honest with you, in my mind, I'm just preparing that we don't have him until the end of the season, so if he's coming back, it will be great, so that's how it works and then I will not be disappointed if it doesn't happen.
"As I understood it, there's a possibility for him to come back to us after the international break around the end of the month and, from that we will see how much he can be able to compete, but it's important that there is no set back in the process that he has initiated with Aston Villa."
The City chief admits he's not spoken to Barry in recent days given the frantic nature of things with so many games, but will endeavour to do so along with his injured trio of Liam Millar, Mohamed Belloumi and Eliot Matazo, but says other players and staff have been in regular contact.
"Not in the last 10 days (spoken to him), but I will try to pick up with him. I need to try to contact all of them (this week). Sometimes the daily routine is just basically getting all my time, but I know he has been talking with some of the boys, and he has been talking with a couple of coaches because one of their tasks is just to keep him connected with us and that's more than enough for now. When I have the time and I have the space in my mind to just have a call or just send a message, I will do it."
Selles says having the attacking player back will be a major boost and believes after a frustrating start to life at the MKM Stadium, Barry will be desperate to make an impact.
"He's a great player and I think there's still a lot in the game for him, especially in the level," Selles continued. "Unfortunately, we have a couple of boys like him, like Eliot Matazo, when everything looks like it was connecting for them, they have those injuries.
"It will be good to have him back because I also think he's he's a boy that is ambitious and he has a point to prove at the level, so he will be hungry to come here and try to make those games until the end of the season and show that he's a really good player for the level."