MANAGER Paul Hurst says Dayle Southwell is coming back to Blundell Park a better player.
The young Grimsby Town forward, 20, spent the last month on loan at Conference North side Harrogate Town.
But after featuring three times – and scoring once – for the Yorkshiremen, Southwell, pictured, returned to the Mariners' ranks ahead of schedule.
Hurst told the Telegraph: "Dayle's been out on loan and played a few games – although not as many as I would have liked due to illness, but I still think it's been a good experience for him.
"What I would say is that the days when he's trained with us, he has looked sharper as though the spell there has given him a spring in his step.
"I now want him back here – although that might not come to fruition straight away in terms of him being in the matchday squad."
With the Mariners preparing to battle on three fronts – in the league, the FA Cup and the FA Trophy – the return Southwell will add depth to the Mariners' attacking options.
Hurst added: "In terms of me looking after our best interests, the window is closing soon and I don't want to leave ourselves short.
"We've got a lot of games coming up, irrespective of what happens in the FA Cup. The Trophy is just around the corner and it might be that Dayle's involved with those games.
"Today would have been his last game but it was a Trophy game and I didn't want him cup-tied.
"If we have the sort of run that we did last year then we'll have a lot of games and I might choose to use Dayle so I don't want him unavailable to us.
"The ambition is to have a good run in it and if we do, I'll need to call on as many players as possible."
