Lokomotiv Moscow are seeking to loan out forgotten striker Dmitry Sychev so the former Russia international can accrue some playing time.
Sychev has long fallen down the pecking order at Lokomotiv and was struggling for a starting place even before the club's recent additions of Roman Pavlyuchenko and Dame N'Doye.
But Lokomotiv president Olga Smorodskaya is loathe to sell a striker who is a particular favorite with the fans, who hope he can recapture the form that saw him shoot to prominence at the 2002 World Cup.
"We want to increase the playing time for Dima (Sychev), so we are considering the option of releasing the player on loan," Smorodskaya said. She warned they may be a lack of clubs willing to take a man many consider to be past his prime.
But she added: "Selling? I am not considering such an option."
Smoroskaya surprised many by tethering Sychev to the club for four more years in November despite a lack of first-team appearances.
Sychev was a regular in the Russian national team until 2008, scoring 15 goals in 47 matches.
He burst onto the scene as a speedy 18-year-old for Spartak Moscow and drew comparisons with England striker Michael Owen.
Sychev left acrimoniously with his contract at Spartak still in force and joined Marseille, where he was a bit-part player and used out of position.
Until CSKA midfielder Alan Dzagoev’s debut for the national team in 2008, Sychev was the youngest outfield player to represent Russia or the Soviet Union, at 18 years and 222 days, when taking to the field at the 2002 World Cup.
