Having served his time will King stay at City?

‘That will be a board decision and my recommendation would be ‘absolutely’. Tie him down and do it because he’s a terrific player.’

Aidy Boothroyd’s view on whether Marlon King will be offered a new Coventry City contract to replace the short term deal he signed in September which runs until the end of the season.

Although Boothroyd is ‘hopeful’ that his relationship with the player will lead to him staying at the Ricoh Arena, King’s bargaining position with potential new clubs is far higher now than upon his release from prison last year.

His performance against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday was his best yet in a Sky Blues shirt and King is beginning to show why Boothroyd felt he had signed a ‘£5m player’ for nothing earlier this season.

But having opened the scoring in three consecutive fixtures and then seen his side lose all of those games will only have compounded the frustrations of a player who will still believe he has a return to the Premier League within him.

Those clubs who shied away from signing the player immediately after he was freed will have fewer qualms at doing so in the summer now that King is back in the game and the focus is mainly on his footballing prowess alone.