Liverpool midfielder James McConnell has returned from his loan spell with Ajax after the deal was terminated, but he is unlikely to feature in the coming games.Though neither Liverpool nor Ajax have confirmed the agreement yet, McConnell has moved back to Merseyside after a frustrating half-season in Amsterdam.The decision to end the loan early comes as no surprise, but those hoping the 21-year-old can join Arne Slot‘s Liverpool squad immediately may be disappointed.This Is Anfield understands McConnell is carrying an injury which will almost certainly keep him out of the upcoming games – including the visit of Barnsley in the FA Cup third round on January 12.Slot will look to rotate wherever possible for that clash with League One opposition, but the head coach is short of options.Wataru Endo remains sidelined, removing one of Liverpool’s midfield options, while Stefan Bajcetic is yet to be reintegrated following a long-term hamstring injury.McConnell could have been seen as the ideal stand-in for Ryan Gravenberch against Barnsley, but instead Slot may need to turn to at least one of his regular starters.The nature of the youngster’s injury is as yet unknown but Ajax cited fitness issues when leaving him out of their recent meetings with Groningen, Fortuna Sittard, Qarabag, Feyenoord, Excelsior Maassluis and NEC Nijmegen.James McConnell: Ajax Loan StatsCompetitionAppearancesStartsMinutesEredivisie41101Champions League31118Total72219The verdict:McConnell averaged just 31 minutes per appearance at Ajax. After falling out of favour, a return to Anfield to reset is the best move for his development.Brought in by John Heitinga, who worked closely with him while Slot’s assistant, McConnell saw his minutes reduce before failing to feature at all under Heitinga’s replacement Fred Grim.He has not played at any level since Heitinga’s final game in charge: a 3-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League on November 5.Liverpool will await a return to fitness before assessing their options with McConnell towards the end of the January transfer window.It is not guaranteed that he will leave on another loan but West Brom, Derby, Oxford and Swansea have all been credited with an interest.Speaking upon his move to Ajax in August, McConnell expressed his desire to grow as a player and help the cause for a team who saw the title slip from their grasp last season.“It’s obviously a big step in my career coming to a club like this, to have my first proper season in terms of playing and stuff,” he explained.“I just think it’s great for all parties. The main thing is I want to come here and try help the team win, that’s the only thing I’m really thinking about, and hopefully it’s the best thing for my career as well.”