So far, Daryl Dike's loan spell at Barnsley has been an enjoyable one. On Wednesday, he scored his second goal in seven games in all competitions, starting four of those matches.
However, Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja is counting on the forward to be available for the Florida-based club when his loan deal expires in May.
"Daryl’s spot is here in Orlando," Pareja said Tuesday, per the Orlando Sentinel. "I think he has done great in his career so far and we’re waiting on Daryl to compete with us this year."
Pareja and Orlando have not completely ruled out a future where Dike does not return, but the coach admitted it would take something "exceptional."
"If something exceptional happens, if some door gets opened for him, then we’ll have to just accept it and put that as a good path for others," Pareja said, "especially youngsters here in the club."
While Dike is unavailable, Orlando will have some fresh faces in attack to pitch in. So far this winter, the team added former Brazil international Alexandre Pato and Silvester van der Water from Dutch side Heracles Almelo.
