English Football League: Returning loan players may be eligible for injury-hit clubs
- Published
Birmingham City's Odin Bailey could play in the Championship this summer, with his loan club Forest Green's season over
English Football League clubs with injury-hit squads have been given a boost following a rule change concerning expired loan deals.
Some players who were loaned out earlier in the campaign will now be eligible to play for their parent side.
The rule only applies to players whose loan club's season has been curtailed.
BBC Sport understands, however, that there are restrictions around eligibility, and on-field priority must be given to youngsters at clubs.
A returning player can only feature if the club could not name a full squad without them, but they can be selected whether they have been on domestic or international loans.
In full, the specific circumstances that would make a returning loan player eligible are:
That the player is returning from a curtailed division
The transferee club has not qualified to participate in a play-off competition
Without including the player on the team sheet, the transferor club would be unable to fulfil all available places on the team sheet
The transferor club gives priority to its under 23 players, scholars and other academy players who have made at least one first-team appearance in a league match (or a Premier League match) for the transferor club
The player has not been on loan to more than one club during the 2019-20 season 2019-20
Following the change, Championship side Birmingham City announced that three of their players returning from League Two sides would be eligible for the Blues.
The trio are forward Odin Bailey, midfielder Charlie Lakin and defender Josh Dacres-Cogley.
A Birmingham statement said: "After a change in EFL rules, voted for by clubs, it means players loaned out on standard and international loans who have returned to their parent side are eligible for them again.
"Previously players were registered with their loan club for the duration of the loan, whether six months or 12 months."