Ross County manager Malky Mackay has hinted Tom Grivosti could be in line for another loan spell.
Defender Grivosti has returned to the Staggies fold, after completing a loan spell with League Two side Elgin City.
The Englishman made the switch to Borough Briggs to gain much-needed action following a long-term injury, making 13 appearances for Gavin Price’s men.
Mackay has signed defenders Declan Drysdale and Kayne Ramsay, who have replaced the departed Harry Clarke and Coll Donaldson.
Mackay is keen to assess Grivosti in the coming weeks but says the defender’s need for game time could pave the way for another loan move to a higher level.
The Staggies boss said: “He’s back from Elgin now and we’ll see how this month goes in terms of our squad.
“With ins and outs and Covid, we don’t want to leave ourselves bare.
“Come the end of the month, we have to look at Tom’s career as well and see if he is ready to go on the next step out on loan or whether he stays as part of the group.
“My own thought is, given the amount of time he was out of football, he needs to play regularly.
“It is great he had 12 or 15 games with Elgin. The next step up may be if we can get him another loan move and see how it goes, but that’s not cut in stone yet.
“He’s part of the first team squad and, at the moment, he is in there with everyone else for the Motherwell game.”
Grivosti has only played seven matches for the Staggies since October 2019, when he suffered a ruptured ligament between toe bones in a match against Rangers.
The complicated injury thwarted several comeback attempts, while the 22-year-old also suffered a hamstring injury after returning for a run of matches towards the tail end of 2020.
Mackay is pleased with his progress since making the switch to Elgin in September.
He added: “He trains every day with us. One of the big benefits of having our little partnership with Elgin City is the fact they are local.
“They are a good set-up, good people that are there, and Tom could still train with us everyday, while training with them in the evening and playing on the Saturday.
“He got league football again after a long spell out.”
Wright and Mackinnon showing up strongly since return from Brora
Mackay has been thrilled with the development of forward Matthew Wright and midfielder Adam Mackinnon, who have returned from a loan stint with Brora Rangers.
The Staggies boss says the pair will be given the chance to show they merit an opportunity to push for a first team place before the end of the window.
He added: “We have brought back Matthew Wright and Adam Mackinnon from the Highland League – and at the moment they are going nowhere.
“The young boys have got big potential, and a big future at the club. We will decide very late in the window whether we do anything with them going back out, or whether they become part of our squad now.”