Macclesfield are in talks with Everton to extend Aristote Nsiala’s loan to a third month – and hope they may even be allowed to borrow him for longer.

The 18-year-old defender’s stint at the Moss Rose is due to expire after Saturday’s trip to Southend.

Macc have asked Everton if they can keep Nsiala, nicknamed Toto, for another month.

And because the Silkmen signed the teenager on a youth loan, Football League rules allow them to extend his stay beyond the standard 93-day emergency loan limit.

Boss Gary Simpson has been impressed with Nsiala’s performances since arriving at the Moss Rose in early October, and is hopeful an agreement with Everton can be sealed.

Simpson said: "We’re hoping to have Toto for another month and then see where things go from there.

"It could be that Everton want to send him out to a club at a higher level in January.

"But if he were to go back now, he wouldn’t be able to move out anywhere else until the transfer window opens again. We certainly want to take him for a third month."

Simpson is keen to ensure Nsiala stays on a little longer, with fellow defender Carl Tremarco facing four months out after undergoing an operation on a hip problem on Monday.

The Macc boss revealed that Tremarco’s injury is similar to the one which has kept Shaun Brisley out of action since late August.

"It’s a blow to lose Tommy," Simpson said of Tremarco. "To be fair, the kid was struggling with injury last season.

"He had a groin and hernia operation over the summer, and that didn’t sort the problem out.

"We had to send him to a hip specialist, and he discovered that Tommy’s got something similar to what Shaun’s been suffering with.

"It was something that could have affected Tommy in later life if we hadn’t done something about it, so he had to have the operation."

Simpson’s preparations for the Southend trip have been thrown into chaos by the freezing weather.

The manager was unable to make it into the club from his Sheffield home on Monday and Tuesday, with several players suffering similar travel problems.

Assistant boss Glyn Chamberlain was able to take a session with those players who did make it in on Monday, but Tuesday’s session had to be cancelled.

"It’s an inconvenience," Simpson said. "But then quite a few clubs have been in the same position as us this week.

"We’ve got lads travelling in from all over the place, and when the weather’s like this, all you can do is tell them to do a bit of work on their own."

The weather has thwarted Simpson’s attempt to strengthen his squad this week with an unnamed trialist, who was due to play in Tuesday’s reserve match at Shrewsbury, which was called off.

"The lad we’ve been looking at is a free agent, which is why we’ve been able to bring him into the club despite the transfer window closing," Simpson said.

"He’s got a good pedigree, having played in the Championship last season. But he hasn’t played since the end of last season, so we wanted to have a look at him in a game.

"The reserve match would have been the perfect chance to do that. But we’re still hopeful, and if the weather relents, there’s another chance next week, so all is not lost."

Saturday’s trip to Southend could see the return to action of midfielder Richard Butcher, who has been out since October with a knee injury.

Macc won at Roots Hall on penalties in the FA Cup first round just a fortnight ago.

But Simpson said: "I don’t think that will be a factor in Saturday’s game.

"If anything, they’ll be smarting from the defeat and more determined to beat us."