WANDERERS have passed on the opportunity to bring Josh Earl back on loan from Preston North End.

Keith Hill informed the defender on Friday that he will not be brought back for a second loan spell – with Burnley’s Jimmy Dunne now being touted as a possible replacement.

Earl suffered an ankle injury just 15 minutes into his debut at Wycombe on the opening day of the season but recovered to feature in eight of Bolton’s last nine games, missing one for a red card at Accrington.

“Thanks to everyone at Bolton Wanderers,” Earl said on his Twitter account. “Ever since I joined the fans have been fantastic and I’ve enjoyed my time at the club. What went on before no club deserves, and I wish everyone associated with Bolton every success for the future.”

Republic of Ireland Under-21 centre-back Dunne returned to Burnley after a loan at Fleetwood in the first half of the season.

Fleetwood boss Joey Barton said the 22-year-old had “crossed a line” during his time with the club, which fuelled the decision to send him back to Turf Moor.

“Jim did great, had a couple of good performances and scored a couple of good goals, but some things are just non-negotiable,” he said.

Jake Wright has also gone back to Sheffield United and is unlikely to return as Hill attempts to reshape his defence.