Luke Williams has identified "inconsistency" in Notts County midfielder Geraldo Bajrami's recent performances that have resulted in him watching on from the bench.
The Albanian has started just once in the Magpies' last eight matches in the National League, with his last appearance in the starting line-up coming in their 2-2 draw away to Oldham on New Year's Day.
The 23-year-old has impressed during his time at Meadow Lane since arriving from Kidderminster Harriers in the summer and was a pivotal part in Notts' seven-match winning run earlier in the season, forming a formidable partnership in midfield alongside Matty Palmer.
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But with an injury to Connell Rawlinson, Williams insisted that he needed to be careful with the versatile midfielder as he looked for defensive reinforcements during his absence.
Many were surprised not to see his introduction during their latest draw with Boreham Wood on Tuesday night, with fellow midfielder Jim O'Brien also watching on from the bench despite netting his second goal of the season the weekend prior against Aldershot.
And while this weekend's FA Trophy fixture with Maidstone offers the opportunity for Bajrami to return to the starting line-up, Williams insisted that a level of consistency is needed to consider him for regular first-team selection.
"We need to make sure that we have enough cover in the back line of course and try to give Baj minutes as well.
"He played recently at Oldham and come on in the game against Aldershot, so we are trying to make sure that he has minutes to keep him in the correct place.
"But I think Baj has hit very high levels this season and then has been inconsistent with a couple of performances that were below the very high level that he has set for himself, and he knows that.
"He is ready and he will come back into the team. We still have a lot of football to play and he will come back into the team and be a big player for us.
"But he needs to be in the right frame of mind and be focused and he has to show the level of consistency day in, day out at training so we know that he is ready to go into the game and make a great performance.
"We have to see that from Baj and he will get there and we have got very high hopes for him."
A solid performance for Bajrami this Sunday could offer another midfield option ahead of tough fixtures away to Chesterfield and Solihull Moors to come.
With just three fit central defenders, it has been encouraging to see Rawlinson travelling with the matchday squad to continue his rehabilitation from his latest injury.
The 31-year-old defender has been unavailable for the Magpies manager since the start of December after picking up an injury in training.
And speaking ahead of this weekend's fixture with George Elokobi's side, Williams was able to provide a positive update on the experienced defender.
"Connell is really close, he has been working very hard," explained Williams.
"I think that a player with that quality and that level of experience is something that we need now.
"He is going to be back in the squad very soon and we are hoping he will be able to pick up minutes at the weekend."
