Nigel Clough hopes Luke Murphy gets another chance to prove himself at Leeds United next season - but he says the midfielder will not be returning to Burton Albion in League One.
Murphy has spent the last season-and-a-half as an Albion player.
After making 19 appearances from January onwards in 2016-17 following a loan move from Leeds, he agreed to come back for the entire 2017-18 campaign as he looked to help the Brewers secure a second successive Championship survival.
He made 41 outings this time around, scoring a crucial goal in the late-season victory over Derby County.
But while Clough believes the 28-year-old central midfielder would have been keen for another spell at the Pirelli Stadium had they stayed up, Burton's relegation to the third tier means "finances will prohibit" another move for Murphy.
Asked if Murphy could factor into Albion's thinking for next season after an 18-month stint, Clough said: "No, finances will prohibit that unfortunately.
"Luke has been one of the best lads you could wish to work with over the last 18 months.
"I'm going to put a call in to Paul Heckingbottom (Leeds manager) in the next couple of days just to make sure he's aware of he well he's done for us.
"He got frozen out at Leeds two years ago, he joined us in the January and then he came back.
"But I think Paul will look at the situation differently. I think he phoned him as soon as he got the job as well, which helped.
"And I think Luke will get a chance at Leeds next season to prove himself in the Championship, I hope he does, because he's good enough."
Murphy - whose current deal at Elland Road runs until 2019 - struck up a telling midfield partnership with fellow loanee Jacob Davenport and Hope Akpan during the final month of the campaign, when the Brewers made a late surge for safety.
Clough, though, has been impressed by Murphy's professionalism and personality throughout his time in the yellow and black.
"In terms of working with him, day in and day out, he's been absolutely brilliant," added the Albion boss.
"He dipped a little bit just after Christmas, like the team did.
Brewers' dramatic relegation
"But I think he has come back in the last six or eight games and been brilliant.
"He's an absolutely fantastic lad. We were all very, very down about the weekend, and he was as down as much as anybody, because I think he was hoping he could come back here next season.
"It's been brilliant to have him."
Murphy is one of four loanees who have returned to their parent clubs following the end of the season with Burton.
Davenport impressed throughout his first spell in senior football on loan from Manchester City, while West Ham United's Martin Samuelsen was an early feature of the team after January before an illness affected his late season.
Darren Bent's biggest impact on loan from Derby County, meanwhile, was a crucial equaliser in that remarkable 2-1 win at Sunderland.
"They were brilliant, they go back to their clubs," said Clough on the loanees.
"Martin started really well for us and then got an illness, he has come back in training but by then the team were playing better so we couldn't get him back in.
"Jacob has been almost ever-present since he came in, he was absolutely brilliant.
"Then Darren Bent has come in and had an impact.
"He got the goal at Sunderland, the first goal, the equaliser for us.
"He just said yesterday that he wishes he could've got a couple more.
"He's had a few opportunities, but our two main strikers hadn't played for a long time and they were both getting up to speed.
"In the end, the way we were playing, it just suited us with Liam Boyce."
