Huddersfield Town will be licking their lips at Notts County developments | OneFootball

Midfielder Tom Iorpenda could be set to play a big part for Huddersfield Town next season after his impressive loan spell at Notts County.

It is set to be an exciting end to the campaign for Huddersfield Town in League One, but they may already have one eye on next season.

Huddersfield went into this season as promotion favourites after a strong summer of recruitment that included high-profile signings such as Ryan Ledson, Marcus Harness and Alfie May, but they struggled to live up to that billing.

The Terriers parted company with manager Lee Grant in January after the expected automatic promotion push failed to materialise, and his replacement, Liam Manning, stepped away from his role at the club last month after being granted compassionate leave.

In Manning's absence, Martin Drury and Jon Stead have taken charge of Town, and four points from two games over the Easter weekend have kept the West Yorkshire outfit in the play-off race, but tough remaining fixtures against the likes of Wycombe Wanderers, Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers mean that securing a top six finish will be a challenge.

If Huddersfield fall short of promotion this season, a big summer of change is likely to be ahead at the Accu Stadium, but they may find the solution to some of their problems in a player who is already on their books.

Huddersfield Town will be delighted by Tom Iorpenda, Notts County exploits

Given the influx of new signings at Huddersfield in the summer, opportunities for young players were always likely to be limited this season, and it was, therefore, little surprise that midfielder Tom Iorpenda was sent out on loan.

Iorpenda made just 12 appearances for the Terriers in all competitions last season, with only five of those coming in the league, so the temporary move to League Two side Notts County looked to be the perfect chance for him to gain some invaluable senior experience.

The Magpies named ex-Huddersfield forward Martin Paterson as their new manager in the summer, and with many supporters unconvinced by his appointment and predicting an underwhelming season, Town may have had some doubts over how Iorpenda would fare at Meadow Lane, but they will no doubt be thrilled with the outcome.

Iorpenda has starred for Notts this season, scoring three goals and providing six assists in 46 appearances in all competitions, with 42 of those coming from the start, but those numbers do not tell the full story of just how influential he has been for Paterson's side.

The 21-year-old has won plenty of plaudits for his performances this season, and he hit the headlines after his stunning individual goal in the 5-2 win over Cheltenham Town last month, when he went past two opponents and drove forward 20 yards before slotting home.

Iorpenda was recognised for his impressive campaign this week as he was nominated for the League Two Young Player of the Season award, along with Salford City's Matty Young, Gillingham's Sam Gale and Walsall's Daniel Kanu, which underlines what an exciting asset the Terriers have on their hands.

With the Magpies sitting third in the table with just four games of the season remaining, Iorpenda's full focus will be on helping his loan club to promotion, but he will know that he has done nothing to harm his chances of forcing his way into the Huddersfield team next season.

Tom Iorpenda could save Huddersfield Town a big transfer headache this summer

With their play-off fate still to be decided and Manning taking time away from the club, there is a lot of uncertainty at Huddersfield currently, but one thing that seems guaranteed is that Iorpenda will have a big part to play next season.

While the Terriers have no shortage of options in the middle of the park, it is fair to say that few of their existing options have performed consistently this season, and Leo Castledine has been seriously missed after scoring 12 goals and registering five assists in 27 games before his loan spell was cut short in January to allow him to join Middlesbrough.

It may be tough for Iorpenda to reach quite the same heights as Castledine, but his exploits for Notts County this season suggest that he could add some serious quality to Town's midfield next season, and he will feel like a new signing once he returns to the Accu Stadium.

Having invested heavily last summer, it is unclear what level of spending owner Kevin Nagle will be prepared to deliver in the upcoming transfer window, but Iorpenda's emergence could potentially save Huddersfield from having to splash out on a new attacking midfielder.

Of course, given that much of Iorpenda's senior football so far has come at League Two level, he will need time to adapt to a higher division — whether that be League One or the Championship — but after his breakthrough season with the Magpies, he looks set to have a bright future ahead of him at the Accu Stadium.

While he admitted that his "ceiling for improvement is probably still massive", Paterson recently claimed that there was "absolutely no doubt"