Michael Appleton addresses the possibility of Blackpool sending back one of their five loanees

Under EFL rules, clubs can only name a maximum of five loanees in their 18-man match day squad. However, there are no restrictions on how many loan players you can sign.

The Seasiders currently have five on their books in Theo Corbeanu, Lewis Fiorini, Charlie Patino, Ian Poveda and Rhys Williams.

Those numbers could soon be swelled though, with Josh Bowler and Morgan Rogers both strongly linked with a January transfer window move to Bloomfield Road.

When asked if any of the five players are likely to head back to their parent clubs, Appleton told The Gazette: “Potentially, but I’m at a point now where I’m more than comfortable having more than five loans, especially with our injury history.

“I think we’ve gone beyond worrying about having more than five and that being a risk.

“If anything, it’s almost the opposite and making sure if one or two injuries do happen we remain as strong as we possibly can.”

Two of Blackpool’s five loan players are currently unavailable for selection with Fiorini and Corbeanu both carrying injuries.

Should Bowler and Rogers both arrive without any outgoings, that will bloat Blackpool’s squad numbers.

But that is not of an immediate concern for Appleton as the Seasiders don’t have to submit a fresh 25-man squad to the EFL until the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

One man who is unlikely to remain with the club beyond January is Grant Ward, who hasn’t featured in any of Appleton’s squads since Blackpool returned from the World Cup break.

His three-month contract with the Seasiders expires on January 21 after the midfielder penned a three-month deal back in October.

The 28-year-old was signed as an emergency backup amid Blackpool’s injury crisis, with the former Ipswich Town man even standing in at right-back for the game against Middlesbrough at the start of November when Callum Connolly was out suspended.

His only other appearance came in the 1-0 defeat to Luton Town in October.