Town boss Kieran McKenna has spoken about the loan moves of Corrie Ndaba, Rekeem Harper and Matt Penney but says it’s unlikely young midfielder Cameron Humphreys will join them in making a switch before next Thursday’s deadline.
Central defender or left-back Ndaba joined Burton Albion for the season a week ago and Harper moved to Exeter City on a similar basis earlier this week and McKenna believes the pair, who are both 22, will benefit from spells with other League One clubs.
"We thought it was the right thing for both players and both players were very much in agreement with that,” he said.
"Corrie, as I said before, has had a good pre-season, has been in and around the first team here for quite a while but hasn’t had a lot of games as a centre-half, even at Salford last year he played quite a lot as a left-back.
"So we feel like in League One games for him hopefully, games in League One regularly at centre-back will be important for his development.
"Rekeem’s another case. He had a loan in the second half of last year [at Crewe], is really keen to keep playing games now and probably needs that at this stage of his career and that was something he was very keen on.
""And Exeter were very patient, waited right through the pre-season really while we solidified plans for him.
"It was something that he felt was a good opportunity for him, a League One team, who have had a good start to the season and a good chance for him to get a run of games and that’s only going to benefit him.”
Regarding Penney, who joined Motherwell until January yesterday, he says what might happen after that spell isn’t yet decided.
"I think we’re open to all scenarios at the moment,” he said. "Obviously we’ve brought in two left-backs this summer [Leif Davis and Greg Leigh], who have both settled into the team and into the squad very well.
"Certainly Matt has never let anyone down in the games that he’s played for us and has been a good part of the group but it was going to be more difficult for him to play in the next few months with the competition in that position.
"He had the offer from Motherwell, which is a big club, a chance to go and play in the Scottish Prem and get a different experience.
"We’ll take it as it comes, he’s very much focused on going there until January then reassessing the situation after that.”
In addition to Ndaba, Harper and Penney, Idris El Mizouni and Tommy Hughes have moved on loan to Leyton Orient and Torquay respectively, but McKenna says Humphreys, 18, is best off staying with Town as things stand.
"We’re constantly talking to Cameron about his situation, I’ll keep most of that private,” he said. "I think it’s unlikely that he’s going to go anywhere on loan currently.
"We feel that he’s developing well in the group, being around the senior players, training with us every day and getting his opportunities like he did in the Colchester game and like he will do in games coming up. So, at the moment we feel he’s developing well in the group.”
The midfielder, who signed a new three-year deal in June, has made two cup starts and two league sub appearances for the Blues.