JOSH Vela is on the verge of joining Notts County on a one-month loan.

The Academy graduate has made just two first team appearances this season but had shown signs of rapid improvement in recent weeks for the development squad.

A long-term knee problem had curtailed his progress since bursting on to the scene as a teenager in the Premier League under Owen Coyle.

But the Salford-born battler has joined up with Shaun Derry’s Magpies for the next six games in an effort to lift them out of the relegation zone in League One.

Notts County are currently bottom of the table, seven points away from safety, and face Carlisle United at Meadow Lane tomorrow.