STRIKER Declan McManus will return to Aberdeen when his loan deal with Morton expires.

The Tele reported that the hitman looked set to extend his stay beyond the end of his original contract, which expires on 6 January.

But it has come to light that Dons boss Derek McInnes will take the 20-year-old back to Pittodrie for the second half of the season.

Morton manager Jim Duffy has confirmed that, as of this moment in time, McManus will go back to his parent club in January but has not ruled out the possibility he could return at a later stage.

He told the Tele: “Derek McInnes had said to me that his intention is to bring Declan back to Aberdeen in January.

“We wanted Declan to stay 100 per cent. I had several discussions with Declan and he said he’s loved it and feels it’s helped his development enormously.

“But he met with Derek and only has six months left of his contract at Aberdeen and is wanting to see whether he can make an impact up there.

“Further down the line, that could change. If he doesn’t get the opportunities he hopes to get at Aberdeen then he might come back on loan again.

“We will have to look for an alternative to bring in, but if he became available again I would be very keen to bring him back.”