JAY Spearing has been praised for the way he has handled his contractual limbo at Wanderers.

The midfielder will not feature again this season because of a clause in his contract that guarantees his former club Liverpool £100,000 when he plays a 23rd league game.

Wanderers are under a heavy transfer embargo and have not been able to negotiate a way out of the arrangement. Attempts to send Spearing out on loan also failed, all of which leaves him stranded and unable to do anything but train.

“It is a situation I have never faced in all my time in football – a contractual issue with his previous club so he can’t physically play for the current club,” said the Whites’ interim boss Jimmy Phillips. “That is a trait of the modern game and the way it is changing.

“But if this situation had to happen to one player in the first team, Jay Spearing with his character is that one person you know there will be no problem with in training.

“He is going to give 100 per cent, he is still going to work his socks off.

“I have had to play him on the right wing, right back in certain 11 v 11 situations and he has accepted that. He has been fantastic and that’s a credit to him.

“He has been very professional. He has never let anyone down.”

Phillips also confirmed Ben Amos is on the comeback trail after six games out.

The former Manchester United keeper has been sidelined with an ankle injury and will be monitored over the next couple of weeks.

“He has been out on the grass this week,” Phillips said. “Ben got the all clear from the specialist at the back end of last week. We will have to see if he gets a reaction to his injury.

“We don’t need to rush him back. Paul Rachubka is a good character to have around and when Ben is fit it is important we don’t rush him back.

“We need to have him for the rest of the season, not just dipping in for one game and going backwards and not being available for the rest of the time.”