STUART McCall is demanding a “hungry and determined” James Vaughan to lead the line for City next season.

The Bantams boss is keen to ensure that Vaughan’s head is right for a potential return after his loan spell at Tranmere.

Vaughan finished as the 11-goal top scorer in his first year with City – despite leaving at the end of January for Prenton Park.

It was anticipated that his move to Tranmere, who are much nearer to his Formby home, could have been made permanent if they had stayed up in League One.

But having failed to beat the drop, McCall wants to make sure that the experienced striker’s heart is still in the remaining two years of his Bantams contract.

McCall said: “I just want him to be the player I know he can be and he knows he can be in League Two.

“If he is coming back, then I need him hungry and determined to get us out of this league.

“I looked back at his time at Bury and spent an hour or so watching the goals he scored there.

“He’s been at a couple of clubs where it hasn’t worked out but it’s being in a team that plays to his strengths. He’s not only a goal scorer but one who gives everything to the club.”

McCall had a lengthy chat with Vaughan three weeks ago – before it was confirmed that League One, like League Two, would come to a premature end.

Tranmere had won three in a row to boost their survival hopes before the shutdown in March with Vaughan scoring in three of his last four games. They are still threatening to make a legal stand against the EFL’s ruling.

McCall added: “I enjoyed talking to James because we haven’t really spoken before. I just wanted to see where his head’s at.

“We didn’t know the scenario at the time and it’s been really harsh on anyone who’s been relegated with nine games still to go.

“Tranmere is obviously near his house and were playing in a division higher.

“Gary (Bowyer) was happy to let him go out on loan and he had settled in and was just finding a bit of form at the time."

Bowyer named Vaughan as City’s captain when he signed him last summer. But there were suggestions of a fall-out before the frontman left in January as the same time as Eoin Doyle.

The former Bantams chief brought in Lee Novak and Kurtis Guthrie as deadline-day replacements.

Vaughan previously struck up a good partnership with Novak when the pair played together for Huddersfield.

McCall said: “We will chat more nearer the time when we know when we are going back and what it will be like.

“There will be things said that will be kept personally between me and James.

“But he was saying he thoroughly enjoyed his time here, probably up until November when things started going (wrong) for whatever reasons.

“I’d be more than happy for him to come back. But I only want people playing for Bradford that want to be here.

“I made that clear to James, and he was fine with it. Hopefully, that will be the case.

“James is our player and when we do get back, hopefully he can get back to enjoying his football.”