Dilan Markanday says he will be following Chesterfield ‘closely in the future’ after ‘throughly enjoying’ his time on loan at the Spireites.

The exciting attacker dazzled in the first-half of the season after joining on loan from Blackburn Rovers, scoring seven goals and grabbing two assists. And it was that form that caught the attention of Leyton Orient, who persuaded Markanday’s parent club Blackburn Rovers to recall him and loan him to them for the second part of the campaign, where he helped the O’s reach the League One play-off final, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic at Wembley.

The 23-year-old is a free agent this summer after being let go by Blackburn and it is fair to say that Town fans would love to sign him on a permanent deal. And their hopes were raised over the weekend when, after posting a thank you message on his Instagram to Blackburn, Chesterfield defender Kyle Mc Fadzean, who knows Markanday from their time at Ewood Park together, replied ‘hopefully see you soon’ with a pen signing emoji.

Later on, Markanday then posted an appreciation message about the Spireites, which again has given some supporters hope that a permanent move could happen, while others are wondering whether that it was him subtly indicating that he won’t be coming back.

He wrote: “What a football club and set of fans. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Thank you to the staff and players for making me feel welcome from the first day and allowing me to enjoy my football and play with freedom. Will be following the club closely in the future and wishing you all the best.”

It remains to be seen whether a deal could be struck with Markanday, who will probably not be short of offers, but perhaps his loan spell at the Blues earlier in the season could swing it for them. The transfer window opens this Sunday (June 1) for 10 days to allow transfers to take place for the Club World Cup, but it also applies for EFL sides. It then closes and reopens again on June 16 until September 1.