Hartlepool United defender Manny Onariase has had his loan at National League strugglers Maidenhead extended until the end of the season.

The 28-year-old has made five appearances for the Magpies since signing on an initial short-term deal at the beginning of December and is now set to remain at York Road until the end of the campaign.

Onariase signed for Pools in the summer of 2023 and featured regularly under then-manager John Askey, playing 34 times in his first season in the North East.

However, he fell down the pecking order following the arrivals of Tom Parkes and Luke Waterfall and didn't feature at all in the final weeks of the season, with his last appearance of the campaign coming in March's humbling 7-1 defeat at rivals Gateshead.

The defender, who has made 38 appearances for Pools, has extended his loan at National League strugglers Maidenhead until the end of the season. Picture by Frank Reid.

placeholder image — The defender, who has made 38 appearances for Pools, has extended his loan at National League strugglers Maidenhead until the end of the season. Picture by Frank Reid.

The summer signing of Billy Sass-Davies saw Onariase's opportunities become even more limited at the start of this term, with the towering defender reduced to just four substitute appearances under Darren Sarll.

The former Cheltenham, Scunthorpe and Dagenham and Redbridge defender hasn't featured at all under Lennie Lawrence and was allowed to leave on loan last month in search of regular football.

After starting three games in a row under Alan Devonshire at York Road, he lost his place over the festive period and sat on the bench as Maidenhead shipped seven goals in two games.

However, he was back in the side for Saturday's thumping win over AFC Fylde as the Magpies moved a point clear of the National League relegation zone.

With his contract at the Prestige Group Stadium set to expire at the end of this season, Onariase has in all probability played his last game for Pools and manager Lennie Lawrence suggested he was keen to see the defender put himself in the shop window.

"I like Manny O a lot, he's a good lad," he said.

"As I said to him, at his age, he's got lots of competition here and I think it's important he's going to play.

"He more or less has done that at Maidenhead, and that's so important. Otherwise, he'll just join hundreds and hundreds of players at the end of the season who are out in the cold. At least he's got a foothold somewhere.

"I'd like to see him fixed up and doing well because he's a good man. The move was in everybody's best interests."