Motherwell hero Louis Moult says he has unfinished business at the club and feels he let people down during a loan spell from Burton Albion earlier this season.
Now that the 31-year-old has been released by the Brewers, Moult has hinted that another, more permanent return to Fir Park may be on the cards.
Having scored 50 goals over two-and-a-half seasons previously, Moult arrived on a season-long loan in September to great acclaim, but was back at Burton Albion by January, due to a niggling ankle injury.
In seven games he scored once, and he only played 12 times in total this term.
Moult says he would love to rekindle his partnership with Kevin van Veen - though that would obviously depend on Motherwell keeping the Dutchman next season.
Speaking to the Herald, Moult said: "I spoke to [then-CEO] Alan Burrows in detail when I was getting this niggly ankle problem, and we both agreed that for the best interests of the club, it would make sense to terminate the loan deal in January, so we freed up that money.
"That's what I wanted for the club. I love the football club, and I wanted them to be able to sign some able players that could play and contribute. I totally got that.
"But I do feel like I have unfinished business there, because I came back and didn't do quite as well as I wanted to, because of the ankle injury.
"I think you could see that when I was feeling OK, like at Tynecastle and St Johnstone away, those were probably two of my best performances in a long time.
"I was feeling fine, I was injury-free, but thereon after it just started niggling away at me. I saw the specialist and he told me what needed to be done, and thankfully that has been done, now.
"The potential was there, and I am gutted by the way it ended, in terms of myself, but also the way it ended for Stevie Hammell.
"He's a Motherwell legend and he helped bring me back to the club, along with Alan.
"I half feel like I've let these guys down, and I've let the football club down. I fI could ever repay their faith and Motherwell's faith in me, I'd do it.
"I remember saying in the back end of January to Alan that I would come back and play for free once I was fit. I was willing to do so to try and help Motherwell, because at that point in time it was looking like doom and gloom down at the bottom of the table.
"I said 'let me have this operation and I'll come back and play for free', but it didn't work out in the end."
Moult added: "When I came back, I never really got the chance to play at Fir Park that much. I came on in one or two games, but I didn't start a game, and I wanted that feeling back.
"I didn't get to start a game at Fir Park, and that was disappointing, really."
Moult has been impressed by van Veen's prowess this season, with 26 goals so far to his name, and says they still keep in touch.
"I still speak to Kev, I keep congratulating him on all his goals that he's scoring," he said.
"The new manager is there now and he was probably there for about a month when I was there, but not really with the first-team.
"He seems to have them playing in a very similar way to what we used to [under Stephen Robinson], with the 3-5-2 and the two strikers, and Kev is obviously capitalising on that, because they were getting the ball forward quicker to him.
"I got on really well with Kev. I've come across a lot of players in the past where it can be awkward between two strikers, but me and Kev got on really well, both on and off the pitch.
"Given more game-time together, I really feel like we would have struck up a great partnership, because we were on a very, very similar wavelength.
"Against Hearts you got to see that for about 30 or 40 minutes, and that wasn't me as a fully-fit Louis Moult.
"I'd like to think that if I had a full pre-season in me, that would just flourish."
Moult offered a glimmer of hope for Motherwell fans who would like to see him back at the Premiership club.
He said: "You never know what's going to happen in football, there's a lot to it and it's never as simple as just wanting things to happen.
"It has been well documented that Kev will probably have a lot of options this summer, which is fantastic for him and for the football club.
"Let's just wait and see what happens over the next couple of months.
"I've been training for around 12 weeks now, so I am happy to be back fit and feeling fine.
"I'm ready to see what the summer brings. I just want to play for a club and a manager that believes in me, and knows how to manage me.
"I've still got the hunger, I just have to find the right place and the right manager who can manage me and understand me.
"I really feel that if that happens, someone could get the best out of me again, and I truly believe I could deliver again. I really, really do."
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