Igovernor wrote:He will be back in time for to be one of the 25 in January, when someone gets the chop

You might be right, since he never went on a full seasons loan. It's possible that Malky has told him he wouldn't get much playing time before January and that a loan would help his international career, but that if others don't perform or are injured that he may get a chance later. It would make sense, as there is no point in burning bridges.