Junior Brown is set to depart Bristol Rovers, manager Joey Barton has confirmed.
Barton and the defender are due to hold talks after training at the Mem on Friday, with the manager minded to part ways with the former Coventry City and Fleetwood town man.
Brown, 32, joined the Gas as a free agent on deadline day in August and has made six appearances. But he has not featured since sustaining a thigh injury at Harrogate Town in October.
"He’s still not 100 per cent (fit)," Barton said. "I’m due to have a conversation with him at some point today about possibly moving on.
"I don’t think it’s going to work out for us. I’m not sure what options he’s got but for us, if you’re not playing you’re not going to be here long.
"For me, either you’re playing and contributing, or you’re on an exit path from the football club because we can’t have any passengers.
"It hasn’t quite worked out for Junior yet and I don’t think it’s going to work out for him.
"Sometimes transfers and signings don’t work out. We took Junior for a bit of cover and he hasn’t hit the ground running, similarly with Trevor Clarke, and we’re going to have to get players in who can hit the ground running and help our football team."
Left wing-back has been a problem position this season with Clarke and Brown missing long periods through injury, but with Clarke back in contention and Josh Grant performing well in the role Barton is prepared to let Brown go.
He would be the fifth first-team player to depart this month, with Mark Hughes, Zain Westbrooke and Zain Walker all finding new clubs, while teenage goalkeeper Jed Ward has been sent out on a short-term loan to Swindon Supermarine.
Another Rovers player with an uncertain future is Sion Spence, who was not included in the squad for the win over Hartlepool United six days ago.
The Crystal Palace loanee has scored three important goals since arriving in the summer, including the match-winning brace against Oxford United in the FA Cup, but he has not seized chances in the starting XI.
Barton is yet to be told by Palace whether they are considering recalling the player, but the manager says it is not his responsibility to put the 21-year-old in the side.
Barton explained: "It’s straightforward, if you’re not in the team, it’s not my job to get you in the team. It’s your job to make sure I can’t leave you out of the side.
"Unluckily for Sion, we’ve got more than 11 good players here and there is high competition for places, especially in his position because Antony Evans, Sam Finley’s now back, you’ve got Sam Nicholson, Luke Thomas and Leon Clarke has come back in.
"Competition for places is only getting harder and it’s up to players to force their hand on that, whether they’re 19 or 39. It’s your job to give the best account of yourself and be available for selection. We pay players to be available for selection and it’s then up to us whether we select them on a matchday.
"We can only select XI to start and the rest on the bench. It’s your job as a player to make sure you can’t be left out. Sion’s had a few cameos and scored goals and shown what he can do, but as of yet when he’s been given starts, I don’t think he’s taken the shirt and really made it his own.
"That will be the challenge for him in the next period and if he does it, superb, everyone will be happy, but if he doesn’t Crystal Palace may well want to bring him back and send him elsewhere.
"I haven’t heard that as of yet, but if that is the case then that’s the case, but we’ll always pick the best 11 players for our team to give us the best chance of winning on a matchday, whether that’s a loan player or a young player or a senior player.
"We just want to win games of football."
SIGN UP: For our newsletter to receive more exclusive Bristol Rovers content
