Derby County have sent Senegal international Khalilou Fadiga back to Bolton Wanderers halfway through his one-month loan.
He has made two starts and two appearances as a substitute but his form has been no better than patchy.
He lasted 50 minutes of Wednesday's defeat at Leeds United and it was the 30-year-old midfielder's error that sparked Derby's collapse just before the break when Rob Hulse fired a hat-trick in 12 minutes.
Inigo Idiakez will return from suspension to face Leicester City tomorrow and playing the Spaniard and Fadiga in a four-man midfield is not a workable option.
"We know what Inigo can offer and Khalilou could not provide that when asked to do so at Leeds," said manager Phil Brown.
"Inigo has the flair and quality and Khalilou has quality and can be an exciting player but we also need some mettle in midfield.
"We've not seen the best of Khalilou but he is not what we need at this moment in time."