News of Matty Lund and Stephen Warnock's loan moves from Burton Albion to Bradford City on Friday may not have come as the biggest of surprises to Brewers fans.

The pair have struggled for game-time over the past two months, since Nigel Clough settled on his now-preferred 5-4-1 formation - a setup that requires wing-backs and only two central midfielders.

Tom Flanagan usurped Warnock at left-back, and the former's impressive form has helped him make the position his own in the Brewers' side of recent weeks.

Ex-Liverpool man Warnock's performances in the 0-0 draws away to Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers back in September showed he could hold his own in a back four and nullify wide threats.

Stephen Warnock in action for Burton Albion
Stephen Warnock in action for Burton Albion

But Clough's preference for his full-backs to go forward left Warnock exposed - and Sheffield United ruthlessly showed that on his most recent appearance in a Brewers shirt on November 21.

The 36-year-old - who had a loan spell at Valley Parade back in 2002 - will be a good addition for Bradford, who are fighting it out for promotion back to the Championship.

Warnock has been in a similar situation before, of course.

He dropped down a level in 2016 to help Wigan Athletic out of the third tier and to the League One title, at the expense of the Brewers, when on-loan from Derby County.

Stuart McCall prefers to operate with a four-man defence - and Warnock should slot straight in there at left-back, a position he fared well in earlier on this season.

As with Lund, a greater chance of more regular first-team football will have been an attractive proposition in the move. too.

Nigel Clough consoles Marvin Sordell and Matty Lund after the defeat at Middlesbrough

In Northern Ireland international Lund, the Bantams are getting a proven operator at League One level.

He helped Rochdale out of League Two in his first season in 2013-14 following his move from Stoke City, and the Dale just missed out on the third-tier play-offs last season, with the dynamic Lund notching nine goals in the league.

Clough's first summer signing last year, Lund impressed in pre-season and started the first four matches of the campaign before he was carried off in Albion's 2-1 win over Birmingham City in August - a game in which he again made a mark.

A combination of injury and illness followed, meaning the 27-year-old was unable to break into his stride at a consistent level and could not nail down a spot in Clough's side.

Burton Albion midfielder Matthew Lund cuts a dejected figure after Manchester United score their second goal of the evening
Burton Albion midfielder Matthew Lund cuts a dejected figure after Manchester United score their second goal of the evening

With Tom Naylor and Luke Murphy forming an eye-catching central midfield partnership, Lund has had to watch from the sidelines and had not been named in a matchday 18 for more than a month before his inclusion on the bench for Saturday's 6-0 drubbing at Fulham.

He is another who wants and needs to be playing more regularly than 14 appearances in a six-month spell. He is a box-to-box midfielder who wants to be affecting games.

Albion's position at the bottom of the table has led to a radical shake-up of their squad this month, with loanees Joe Mason, Sean Scannell and Connor Ripley all returning to their parent clubs.

Added to the sales of Ryan Delaney and Matt Palmer, the departure of two first-team players in Lund and Warnock shows Clough is not afraid to take the necessary steps to bolster his squad in the necessary areas and remove those who he feels are not having the desired impact.

With the arrival of Darren Bent and Martin Samuelsen, Clough has had to be ruthless to ensure his side have the best chance possible to stay in the division.

Darren Bent celebrates scoring for Derby County

"We look down and see what contributions we have had from certain players," he said earlier this month.

Unfortunately for Lund and Warnock, the Burton boss feels they have not contributed enough in the first half of the season.

They will be pushing to make a greater impact in their loan spells at Bradford before returning to the Pirelli Stadium in the summer.