Stockport County boss Dave Challinor has said on-loan forward Louie Barry’s future at the club is “out of their control” with speculation mounting over whether parent club Aston Villa will recall him in January.
Barry joined Stockport on a season-long loan from the Premier League side in August but it has been reported he will be withdrawn in order to join a club at a higher level, while he has also been linked with a loan move to Leeds United.
The 21-year-old was named League One’s player of the month on Friday and has scored 15 goals in 20 games this season as well as scoring nine goals in 23 appearances during a separate loan spell in 2023-24, helping the Hatters win the League Two title.
“When you take a player on loan, especially from a Premier League club, the reality is you know what you’re getting going into,” Challinor told Radio Manchester.
“We obviously hope that he can stay with us and score another 15 goals in the back end of the season and quite selfishly say that monetises his value more than going to a Championship club and not playing the same amount of minutes that he’s having here.
“That’s a decision that’s out of our control.”
Challinor’s side are still in the picture for an second successive promotion to the Championship, with the Hatters currently in fifth position in League One and seven points off the top two with the halfway point of the season approaching.
Regardless of the situation surrounding Barry, Challinor says the club are pressing ahead with their plans for the rest of the season.
“Our work doesn’t stop. Whether it be now or in six months’ time and it was the same six months ago, we’re looking for the next Louie Barry that can impact our team as he has and if that is required then that’s what we have to do,” he added.
“We hope that’s not the case but I’m sure if you ask Louie he probably hopes that’s not the case as he’s in a really good place, but decisions are made that are out of our control and we just have to deal with them.”
