Sunderland boss Lee Johnson has admitted that Anthony Patterson could be allowed to leave the club on a temporary basis in the January transfer window.

Patterson recently returned to the Stadium of Light following a brief loan spell at Notts County.

During his time with the National League side, the goalkeeper made 10 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions.

Although Patterson has not featured for Sunderland's senior side in the third-tier since making his return to the club, he has been included in the club's match-day squad for their last seven league fixtures.

However, when you consider that Lee Burge featured for the Black Cats in the League Cup last night, Patterson's place in the squad may now be under threat as he is unlikely to overtake Thorben Hoffmann in the pecking order.

Hoffmann was rested for Sunderland's clash with Arsenal and is expected to make his 18th appearance of the season when the club face Doncaster Rovers on December 27th.

Following his side's 5-1 defeat to Arsenal, Johnson shared an update on the current goalkeeper situation at the club.

Speaking to Chronicle Live, Johnson said: "Burgey and Hoffmann are two number ones really, it's not fair to call one of them a number two, while Patto [Patterson] might go back out on loan.

"So you have to give the other competing number one a chance and a focus so that they train properly - especially when he [Burge] was as good as he was in the previous game at QPR."

The Verdict

Patterson may find it extremely beneficial to secure another temporary move away from Sunderland next month.

The keeper could go on to make considerable strides in terms of his development if he features regularly for a club in a lower division during the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign.

This will then put him in good stead to potentially feature on a regular basis for Sunderland next season.

The Black Cats may not necessarily miss Patterson if he seals a loan move to another club as Hoffmann has managed to produce some assured performances this season whilst Burge knows exactly what it takes to compete at this level as he has made 151 League One appearances during his career.