Barnsley have handed trials to two former players as Lee Johnson bids to get the club back on track after seven straight league losses.
Argentinian midfielder Hugo Colace will arrive at the club tomorrow while winger Adam Hammill trained with the Reds yesterday. Both Colace, 31, and Hammill, 27, are free agents and Johnson feels they were worth taking a look at.
While the Colace trial had been mooted for some time, Hammill, who was released by Huddersfield Town in September, is a more surprising move. He first played for the Reds on loan from Liverpool in 2009 and then earned a permanent move to the club before being sold to Wolves.
Colace made more than 100 appearances for the club between 2008 and 2011 and was named Player of the Year.
Johnson said: "He (Hammill) is keen and we'll have a look at him and see how he is both physically and mentally. It's to see whether he likes us and we like him. I think he has had a couple of options and he still has them but we've had a little discussion and we feel it's right for him to come in."
Any move for Colace, who is without a club after leaving Club Olimpo in his homeland, won't be made with sentimentality in mind, according to Johnson. He added: "He's been sending videos of him doing work with a personal trainier. I know he has a fond memory of the club and the fans have fond memories of him. It's important that he loves the club.
"But I will assess him like any other player and there won't be any nepotism because he's loved by the club. He's got to be better than we've got. He's another one we can assess. I don't think we should hang our hats on these players given their fitness status but it's still interesting to add a couple of players to the group. Even in training they might be able to brighten that up and we've got another couple of tricks up our sleeves as well."
