OXFORD United have made enquiries about bringing Nathan Holland and Ben Woodburn back on loan next season.
The pair have shown flashes of class in this campaign, but injuries and the coronavirus stoppage have prevented them from fulfilling their potential.
Woodburn in particular has been frustrated on the sidelines, with two separate foot injuries preventing the 20-year-old from Liverpool from playing since October.
Holland’s campaign was halted by a torn hamstring just before lockdown, having scored three times in eight starts since joining from West Ham in January.
It remains to be seen whether he could feature if United are able to play games later this summer.
With plenty of uncertainty over which division they will be in for the 2020/21 campaign, boss Karl Robinson is looking at recruits who can handle either the Championship or League One.
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The highly-rated pair fit the bill and the U’s head coach has made it clear to their parent clubs he would be keen to arrange a return.
Robinson said: “We’d love the opportunity for Ben Woodburn to be back and we want Nathan Holland back with us next year.
“They’re conversations we’re having. We feel it would be right for their careers.
“They are both players who should have come and ripped it up.
“They did when they were fit, but unfortunately the injuries have probably knocked them back six months.
“If we went up we think both of them are Championship players anyway and if we didn’t then we’d have some of the best players in League One.
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“It’s a no-brainer for us and there’s continuity for them, which I think they all want.
“While they have that we’d get to steal a bit of a march on everybody else.”
Robinson has re-signed several players during his managerial career, most recently bringing Marcus Browne back in January for a second loan spell.
“We’re not frightened to get people back, you’ve seen it with Browney,” he said.
“We’ve had players in the past who have wanted to come back.
“We want the best players to be at the club. We’re not shy about that just because they’re not our players.
“We’re not naive, if they make us better we want them back.”
Middlesbrough, who own Browne, are among the clubs United have spoken to about arranging an extension to cover games once the EFL confirm how the season will be concluded.
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