Paul Hurst outlines Jon Nolan situation after midfielder returns to Shrewsbury on trial

Creative midfielder Nolan, 32, is back at the club on an unofficial basis six years after he departed for Ipswich with Paul Hurst, Chris Doig and team-mate Toto Nsiala.

The Liverpudlian has struggled for fitness since, during the latter years at his time with the Tractor Boys and then Bristol Rovers in League Two. He spent last season in the third tier of non-league with Macclesfield.

Hurst has allowed Nolan to train at Sundorne Castle this summer in a bid to prove himself after the Shrewsbury boss admitted the midfielder – who featured late on against AFC Telford in midweek – had fallen out of love with the game.

“There could be, but we’re certainly not close to a decision on that one,” Hurst told the Shropshire Star regarding a potential permanent deal.

“He’s got to show his fitness, that has been an issue for a while and then I think him perhaps falling out of love with it a little bit, or getting frustrated with how his career had gone.

“If there’s a chance of him getting back playing in league football then this is the place it will happen.

“I think he’s fully aware that, as much as we get on great and the history, a bit part of that can’t come into it – but it probably brought him to this point, to come and train, so we’ll see.”

Nolan scored 10 goals from midfield in his sole campaign with Town previously, during the 2017/18 campaign, where he was an integral part in Hurst’s side that delighted all on their way to a Wembley double, including the play-off final. He and Nsiala joined Ipswich in a deal worth £2million combined.

“Already with bits I’ve seen – you don’t lose the ability,” Hurst added of Nolan’s time on trial. “He sees things, the way he can look after a ball. He’s got to gain some self-confidence in terms of his body, the way it is.

“That’s what we’re trying to discover, I guess, between us.”

The boss warned: “At some point he’s going to really have to go for it and let the shackles off to see if there is a chance, because the actually ability is still there, I’ve seen it.

“We all know what a good player he was and, in my view, could still be. But there are some questions around it.”