Retired two-time MotoGP World Champion and current HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) test rider Casey Stoner was considered as a possible replacement for Dani Pedrosa, while the Spaniard recovers from unexpected arm surgery, according to news reports and a social media post by 29-year-old Stoner himself.

Following his lackluster sixth-place finish in the 2015 MotoGP season-opener March 29 in Qatar, Pedrosa and his Repsol Honda team announced that he would need to have immediate surgery on his right arm to address his recurring issues with a problem commonly referred to as “arm pump.”

With the announcement of the surgery, Repsol Honda also announced that HRC test rider and former 250cc World Champion Hiroshi Aoyama would ride in place of Pedrosa at the rounds he would miss while recuperating from his surgery.

Today, however, it’s been learned that Repsol Honda and Stoner did talk about the Australian making a comeback in place of Pedrosa.

A European website that covers MotoGP regularly quoted Repsol Honda Team Principal Livio Suppo as saying the team did speak to Stoner about riding, but Suppo said that even though the fans would have liked the move it was important for their team to stay focused following Marc Marquez’s fifth-place finish in Qatar.

Stoner has often used social media to squash rumors and speculation regarding his plans, but on April 2, his tweet apparently indicated he was considering the fill-in ride. “Sorry to everyone but I am not racing @circuitamericas next weekend, it would have been an honour to ride for @26_DaniPedrosa #NotMeantToBe”

If Stoner had been put in place of Pedrosa it likely would have created a media frenzy around the Repsol Honda team, which, as Suppo said, could have taken focus away from their recovery from their mediocre start in Qatar.

Stoner is still scheduled to race for Honda in the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in July.