Derby County are "unlikely" to re-sign former player Malcolm Ebiowei on loan in January, it has been claimed.

That is according to DerbyshireLive, who have poured cold water on the rumours linking the youngster with a loan return to Pride Park in January.

Ebiowei departed the club in the summer upon the expiry of his contract, joining up with Premier League side Crystal Palace and in recent weeks, reports emerged that Eagles boss Patrick Vieira was now prepared to sanction a loan deal for the 19-year-old.

It was recently reported that Derby County had shown an interest in potentially being the destination for that loan spell, but that does not appear to be the case as per DerbyshireLive.

In their article, they wrote: "Malcolm Ebiowei has been tipped to make a "shock return" on loan from Crystal Palace but alas that is very unlikely to happen."

Sheffield Wednesday are another side who are also said to be keen on a potential loan move, along with Championship side Hull City.

A move to Hull would of course see Ebiowei reunite with Liam Rosenior, former Rams assistant boss under Wayne Rooney when Ebiowei broke into the first XI.

The Verdict

This report doesn't state that the initial reports surrounding Derby's interest was wrong, it simply states it is unlikely to happen.

That means that the Rams could well have been keen on a return for the 19-year-old, but that it just isn't going to happen for whatever reason.

With Ebiowei having played in the Championship, albeit briefly, with the club when breaking through, it could be that Crystal Palace want to loan him out to the second tier, rather than League One.

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens with the young wingers situation in the coming weeks and months.

Whoever do sign him are getting a really talented prospect on a short-term basis.