WHITES striker Tom Eaves has had his loan spell at Rotherham cut short and returned to the Reebok Stadium a month early.

The 21-year-old forward joined the Millers on a three-month deal at the end of September.

But Wanderers have opted to recall the youngster, possibly with a view to sending him to a different club before Thursday’s 5pm loan deadline. They have not given any reason for the recall, issuing a brief confirmation yesterday to say he would be linking up again with the first-team squad ahead of Saturday’s trip to Middlesbrough.

But with just two starts in only nine appearances at the New York Stadium, one in which he scored his only Millers goal in the recent Johnstone’s Paint Trophy win at Hartlepool, it could be that Dougie Freedman wants to try a different avenue for Eaves to get first-team football.

There are no new injuries to the front men from the weekend win at Watford, though Craig Davies’s fitness remains a concern.

And with Freedman expected to try to revive a loan deal for Cardiff attacker Joe Mason this week, Eaves is unlikley to have been recalled as immediate cover for the forwards.

The Liverpudlian remains in the manager’s long-term plans, however, and was sent to Rotherham to get regular games after successful spells previously with Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury.

On his decision to send Eaves out, Freedman said at the time: “You need to nurture young players through the system and if they are good enough then I will give them a chance.

“Right now, a few of them are not quite there and that is why young Tom (Eaves) has gone out on loan.”

If the boss is still of the same mindset, he has two days to decide whether to send him out again.