Leyton Orient: Tough Middlesbrough call could help Richie Wellens strengthen in January | OneFootball

Middlesbrough loanee Zach Hemming could be surplus to requirements.

Goalkeeper Zach Hemming started Leyton Orient's first ten league matches this season.

However, he was dropped in mid-October and has only featured in EFL Trophy fixtures since - mainly due to the good form of Tottenham Hotspur loanee Josh Keeley.

Hemming, who is on a season-long loan himself from Middlesbrough, will want to be more involved in league action and as the January transfer window approaches, it seems a simple decision for everyone involved to make regarding his future.

Orient have a surplus of loan players

Per EFL's rules and regulations, a side is only allowed to field five loan players in their matchday squad. However, Orient have six loanees in their wider squad - an issue that has led players to be left out on matchday entirely.

Due to this, Hemming has not even made the bench for two of the O's last three games - with young goalkeeper Noah Phillips deputising as backup in fixtures against Burton Albion and Bristol Rovers.

Hemming's lack of involvement will be worrying to many, not least his parent club, who would have expected him to be more involved at this stage.

The 24-year-old was a mainstay in Scottish Premiership side St Mirren last year, featuring in every league game as they finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

However, as soon as he stepped foot in E10 he was faced with constant criticism, not least from his own manager Richie Wellens, who, following a 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City earlier in the season, stated: "There is no hiding from it, our goalkeeper has cost us points. We could easily be sitting here with six or seven points, so he needs to look at himself in the mirror and get better."

Orient will want to move on and invest in January

To say it hasn't worked out for Hemming in East London this season so far would be a fair assessment. A combination of a poor run of form early in the season combined with a strong run of form from his competition has limited his game-time to the point where he is no longer a part of the regular matchday squad week-in, week-out.

Orient are currently sitting in a perilous position, positioned 18th but only three points above the drop zone and having to play against four of the six sides beneath them across the next fortnight. Naturally, they will want to invest and bring in new faces in the upcoming transfer window.

Sending Hemming back to Middlesbrough could work out to be the perfect move for all parties considered, freeing up space for the O's to pursue other loan targets while also allowing Hemming to find his footing elsewhere - potentially a drop to League Two or a return to Scotland.

No one can be attributed blame for the signing, with Sol Brynn being considered an excellent loan signing last season coming from the same parent club, but the move hasn't been successful for anyone involved and the best thing to do would be to terminate the loan deal early.