Sunderland manager Lee Johnson has admitted that he is no longer looking into the possibility of strengthening his options at left-back in the upcoming transfer window.
The Black Cats have been short of options in this particular position in recent weeks due to the fact that Dennis Cirkin and Denver Hume were suffering with injuries.
Luke O'Nien briefly featured in this role before undergoing surgery for a shoulder issue.
Instead of using a back-four in the club's clash with Plymouth Argyle last weekend, Johnson opted to field three centre-backs with Lynden Gooch lining up in a wing-back role on the left-hand side of the pitch.
With Hume now in contention to feature for Sunderland in their meeting with Ipswich Town on Saturday and Cirkin making good progress in his road to recovery, Johnson has insisted that he no longer needs to bolster his squad by signing a new left-back.
Currently third in the League One standings, the Black Cats could move into the automatic promotion places this weekend if they seal all three points in their showdown with Ipswich.
Ahead of this fixture, Johnson has shared an update on Sunderland's transfer plans.
Speaking to The Northern Echo, Johnson said: "Every bit of information you receive has to really affect what you do.
"It changes rapidly, a couple of injuries here and there.
"We clearly don't need a left-back now with having two on the cusp of returning to fitness.
"We need to improve, we do that [in] a number of ways working on the training ground, recruitment, building that cohesion."
The Verdict
When you consider that Hume and Cirkin have both managed to illustrate that they are more than capable of delivering the goods at this level during their respective stints at the Stadium of Light, it is hardly a surprise that Johnson has opted to take this particular transfer stance.
Hume knows exactly what it takes to compete in the third-tier as he has made 64 appearances in this division during his career.
Meanwhile, Cirkin is currently averaging a relatively impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.91 in League One for Sunderland.
Providing that this particular duo are able to reach new heights by competing for the left-back role during the remainder of the campaign, they could help the Black Cats secure a return to the Championship in 2022.