SWINDON Town head coach Luke Williams has hinted at a return for Chelsea striker Islam Feruz next season.

The 21-year-old forward, who is contracted with the Premier League side until 2018, made a rare start for Town in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic.

Feruz, who started the first three games for Swindon following his January arrival from Chelsea fell victim of the loan rules after the arrival of Nicky Ajose from Charlton on the final day of the mid-season transfer window.

However, with Ajose unable to play against his parent club, Feruz returned to the team and despite not finding the back of the net for the first XI, scoring once in a development game, Williams has not closed the door on the former Celtic starlet returning in League Two.

“We didn’t have as many loan players available, which was one of the reasons why Islam couldn’t often be considered, even as an option off the bench, with all the loan slots being used up on the pitch,” he said.

“We don’t know for sure what the future will hold and I think it was a chance for Islam to impress again and we don’t know, he may end up a Swindon player again.

“Just with the fact that we had space to put Islam in, it was an opportunity to take.

“We’d be foolish to not try to use the loan market and often, if players have had a good experience at a club, they’re more likely to go back and pick up where they left off.

“We’ve seen boys leave this club and come back here on loan, Louis Thompson, Ben Gladwin, Nicky Ajose and so on, and have often very, very good spells for the club and I think it would be foolish to not try to work in partnership with some of the clubs in this country who are enormous and have got huge resources.”

Feruz was one of several players in a very changed line-up, which included debuts for Jesse Starkey and Scott Twine, who came off the bench late on, as Williams had one eye on next season already and was happy with what he saw on the pitch, despite the 3-0 scoreline.

“We had a combination of players who are under contract still and players that could potentially be Swindon players again in the future,” he added.

“I think it was a chance for a lot of people to show in a competitive game, against a good side, what they are capable of and how much they want to be a part of things going forward, with a couple of reinforcements later on in the game.

“Jon Obika, we know, is out of contract, but to put Scott Twine on, who is very, very young and have Jon up there with him, I think, was a sensible decision.”