Sunderland are set to send fringe players out on loan with the arrival of Scotland international James McFadden imminent.
Younger more inexperienced members of the squad are likely to complete loan moves to Football League clubs, with McFadden completing Martin O’Neill’s attacking options until January.
Young strikers Connor Wickham, Ji Dong Won and Ryan Noble have struggled to establish themselves in the first team, with the summer arrivals of Louis Saha Steven Fletcher shifting them further down the pecking order.
O’Neill told the Northern Echo: “I’m all for loaning players out. We don’t have a massive squad but I could stagger those loans so you don’t have a big group out at the same time.
“In the case of Ryan Noble, it’s something I’d consider. He looks like he needs a proper chance to go play. We’ve taken on a couple centre forwards and it could be a chance we’ll see.
“In the past going out on loan might have had a stigma to it, now that’s far from the case. We’ve taken Danny [Rose] on loan here and had he been down at Spurs he wouldn’t have been in the starting line-up, so it’s a great opportunity for him. That should be the way players look at it.”
