RYAN Lowe could be set to make a surprise return to Crewe Alexandra.

With The Railwaymen currently struggling for goals through both form and injuries, boss Steve Davis admitted a move for the 34-year-old striker is possible.

Lowe has been made available for loan by League One rivals MK Dons and might be interested in a return to the region.

Having scored 12 goals in 64 league appearances during a two-years spell for Crewe from 2006, Lowe went on to rejuvenate his career with a prolific stint at Bury.

“I’m not sure they would let him out but Ryan is the type of player we would be interested in,” admitted Davis.

“He has experience and knows where the goal is.

“But I’m talking about other teams’ players and that’s unfair.

“I need to speak to MK Dons manager Karl Robinson and see if he is available.”

Although Davis is looking to bring in loan reinforcements, it’s unlikely to be for Saturday’s FA Cup first round clash at home to Wycombe.

Midfielder Andy Bond has returned to Colchester after picking up a groin injury while Max Clayton remains a doubt with a similar problem.

Ajay Leitch-Smith (foot) is also out for at least another month but Abdul Osman might return to the middle against League Two opposition.

Aiming to bounce back from last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Yeovil, Crewe look to reach the second round for the first time in four seasons.

“I’m looking forward to it as it’s a break from the league,” added Davis “We’ve had some tough games recently and we’ve got two more coming up.

“The players were disappointed with the result last Saturday, but on reflection we were the better side and it was a decent performance.

“Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as I thought initially and I was too critical.”

Ryan Colclough has signed a three-year deal with Crewe despite being out until January with a broken jaw.

The 17-year-old winger suffered the injury in only his second first team appearance.

“He’s a talent and when you’ve got players like him, you’ve got to secure their futures at the football club,” explained Davis.

And the boss is also set to remain at the Alexandra Stadium after Burnley announced ex-Watford boss Sean Dyche as their new manager.

Tuesday’s appointment ends weeks of speculation linking Davis to the vacancy.

Crewe travel to Doncaster on Tuesday.