Paul Warne hopes David Ozoh will see out his Derby County loan for the rest of the season, but cannot be "100 per cent" certain he won't return to Crystal Palace.

Derby's head coach spoke to the midfielder on Tuesday with the talented teenager having been a big miss since picking up an injury against Cardiff earlier in the season.

Warne said Ozoh is up to 80 per cent of his running and is expected back at some point this month along with Ryan Nyambe who is overcoming a knee injury.

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With Derby hoping to add fresh faces in January, an obvious question has been whether Ozoh returns to Palace if he is not going to be fit in the short term.

Asked whether he would be staying for the rest of the season, Warne said: "He's up to 80 per cent running. I only spoke with him on Tuesday and we had a good chat about where he's at. Ryan Nyambe should be back in the squad in a couple of weeks, but hopefully, he will be accompanied by David.

"Nothing is guaranteed in life, but I sit here trying to be honest, and I believe he will be (here until the end of the season). I don't want to say 100 per cent, then he goes and you say to me that I was talking a load of toot. I look forward to having him back on the grass with the squad."

Ozoh has been out of action since September, but his performances in the early part of the season certainly caught the eye.

He scored his first goal of the campaign in a demolition of Bristol City, but in the 1-0 win over Cardiff he picked up a hamstring injury. Just as he was about to make his return, he then damaged his quad and has been out ever since.

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