FC St. Pauli are hopeful that Crystal Palace will agree to loan youngster Scott Banks back to them next season, after his loan there this year was curtailed by injury.
That’s according to Hamburger Abendblatt, who have an interview with the 22-year-old today as he continues to work on a return to full fitness.
Banks, who is highly rated at Crystal Palace, joined the 2. Bundesliga side on loan in the summer in something a surprise move.
The hope was that he could feature regularly in Germany and give his development a shot in the arm, but he’s only managed three appearances and 56 minutes after suffering a cruciate ligament tear last year.
He’s midway through the process of coming back from that and the big question lingering over him is what happens when he is back properly.
Hamburger Abendblatt explain that St. Pauli’s hopes is that the loan will be renewed and the two clubs, in particular their medical departments, have been in ‘exceptionally good’ contact for months over the player.
He has spent some of his rehabilitation back at Crystal Palace but he’s now back in Hamburg and has moved into his apartment again, a positive sign as far as the German club are concerned.
They also believe that Banks has integrated well into the squad and ‘seems touched’ by the club, getting emotional when he talks about the support he’s received from them.
He’s a regular in the home stands and was even a part of a training camp in Benidorm despite his injury, which are further signs he’s happy where he is.
That means an extension to the loan deal from Crystal Palace ‘seems possible’, although the Eagles would probably have to extend his contract before sanctioning it.
That’s plausible and the signs are that his ‘lost year’ will be recovered with another season on loan at Millerntor next year.
