Leam Richardson on January and Rotherham United’s quartet of loan signings

The new head coach plans to be active this month in a bid to boost the Millers' Championship survival hopes and that may involve some players leaving AESSEAL New York Stadium as well as some joining the club.

Rotherham have four men in their ranks on temporary deals, right-back Dexter Lembikisa, left-back Seb Revan and wingers Fred Onyedinma and Arvin Appiah, and there has already been speculation that Lembikisa could return to Wolverhampton Wanderers now that Peter Kioso has been recalled for his spell at League One Peterborough United.

Richardson gave a guarded response when he was asked by the Advertiser whether any of the loanees would be leaving before February.

"It's about conversations with the parent clubs, conversations with the players, the agents," he said. "January business brings just as many emotions as results do for players.

“Some are hoping the phone rings, some are hoping the phone doesn't ring. The situation is something we're totally aware of. We're having conversations every day. We'll watch this space.”

Lembikisa has played in recent matches as a wing-back for the Millers, Aston Villa youngster Revan has become a regular in defence, Luton Town's Onyedinma was a first-choice pick until he suffered a late-November hamstring injury while Appiah, of Spanish side Almeria, has struggled for game-time and has spent most of his time on the bench.

Generally, parent clubs hold the option of a January recall, but that isn't always the case. Also, some teams won't take back a player they have loaned out, even when the move isn't a success, unless it suits them to.

With Rotherham low on numbers because of their injury troubles, Richardson, whose team are at home to Stoke City next Saturday, isn't looking for any immediate farewells.

“We can't move anybody out at the minute,” he said. “We need all bodies with where we're at. It's all hands to the pump. Whether it gets taken out of our hands, I don't know. Everybody is a large part of what we're doing for now.”

The boss has been using a 3-5-2 formation partly because of the lack of players at his disposal and could adopt different systems once there have been January arrivals and some of the injury absentees return.

“We know, with the personnel we have got at the minute, that we have to give up some things and play a certain way,” he said.