The hint at progress with Louie Barry’s injury situation from Stockport County manager Dave Challinor may be a cause for concern for fellow League Two title contenders Mansfield Town and Wrexham.

The 20-year-old has been on loan from Premier League side Aston Villa since the beginning of this season but has had a significant spell away from action due to injury.

During the Hatters’ 2-0 away win against Crewe Alexandra at the end of October, the forward pulled up and had to be withdrawn from the field just 25 minutes into the game.

It was later confirmed to be a hamstring issue, from which the former Barcelona academy prospect is yet to return, but a recent reveal from Challinor suggests he may be in contention to turn out for County again before the season ends.

Barry back in a boosted Stockport camp

Following County’s impressive 5-0 win over MK Dons last weekend, Challinor gave an update on players potentially returning from injury in the coming days.

Speaking to club media, the manager said: “We should have Louie Barry back in the building with us, certainly not to play, but back in the building with us this week, which will be a big boost.”

Although stopping short of putting a date on a return to competitive action, with Barry having been completing his treatment with parent club Villa, it feels like a significant step for the forward to be returning to County’s Carrington training base and suggests things could be building towards a return for the final few games of the season.

The good news continued as Challinor also confirmed that Kyle Knoyle, who has been out since New Year’s Day with a serious head injury, is also getting closer to a return date and Antoni Sarcevic, who has been out for a much shorter time, should be back in action imminently.

Challinor knows how vital these returnees could be to the final outcome of the season.