Cardiff defender Deji Oshilaja has returned to Gillingham on loan.

The deal initially runs until May 8 but can be extended if required.

Manager Justin Edinburgh moved quickly to bolster his defence after Bristol City loanee Adam El-Abd picked up an injury at the weekend.

It left the Gills with just one fit senior central defender, in Max Ehmer.

John Egan is back training after a knock but he could still be a couple of weeks away.

Oshilaja is an obvious choice for Edinburgh, having made him a regular in the Gills defence during the early part of the season.

The defender said: "I'm happy to be back. The lads have kept the team in a good position in the league, and hopefully we can really kick on.

“It was great to see the lads again in training this morning, everybody was buzzing, there was a lot of banter going on."

The 23-year-old played 15 games for the club during the first half of the season before being recalled by Cardiff to cover for injuries and suspensions at the start of the year.

Edinburgh was keen to bring Oshilaja back at the end of February, so a 93-day loan deal would cover any potential play-off campaign. That deal was scuppered as Cardiff again wanted him to stay and cover.

The Gills instead turned to El-Abd.

Oshilaja has recently failed to make Cardiff’s matchday squad and he will now be ready to resume his role in the centre of Gills’ defence when they head to Southend on Saturday.