Lee Johnson is hoping to make two signings before the January transfer window closes, according to Sunderland Echo reporter Phil Smith.
The Black Cats are struggling for consistency this season as they look to secure promotion to the Championship at the third time of asking.
At present the Wearsiders are way off the pace and find themselves in ninth position as the club prepare for the second half of the League One campaign.
Johnson is still finding his feet in the role, but according to the Sunderland Echo, he's hoping to add a couple of new faces to ensure that the squad have all the tools needed to push for promotion.
Writing for the Sunderland Echo, Smith said: "Ideally, Johnson would like to make two additions before the window shuts.
"The head coach has talked of finding a ‘different dynamic’ in the final third, and wants to find a player capable of stretching the opposition defence throughout games. Pace is a desired attribute, but Johnson outlined earlier this week that most important of all is the willingness and physical capacity to make those runs in behind and recover quickly enough to keep doing it for 90 minutes.
"It’s a big part of his wider plan to help vary his team’s attacking play, particularly at home where they have struggled to break teams down.
"Increasingly a priority is adding a new left-back.
"It was not a position on Johnson’s radar when the window opened, but a recurrence of a hamstring injury has left Denver Hume facing two months on the sidelines and Johnson worried about the balance of his side.
"So at both ends of the pitch, he needs a natural left-back to make either of his currently preferred systems function to their maximum potential."