Sunderland have the ability to recall Jack Diamond from his loan spell with Harrogate Town in January, as per a recent report by The Northern Echo.

This update comes after the Black Cats saw their attacking options become further depleted recently following an injury that was sustained by Nathan Broadhead during their recent 5-1 loss to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

That blow combined with the fact that several other key players are currently on the sidelines has left Lee Johnson's squad looking somewhat thread bare ahead of the January transfer window.

Although the Sunderland boss has spoken at length about the need to strengthen his team, he could well view the opportunity to recall Diamond as something that may be too good to turn down.

After all the 21-year-old has been in great form for Harrogate since returning to the Sky Bet League Two outfit and boasts a record of six goals and four assists so far this season.

Diamond is still a player that Sunderland have a lot of faith in moving forwards, with the club having handed the winger a new three year contract not long ago.

The Verdict 

Johnson is all too aware of what Diamond could bring to the team if he was to return but he will certainly have to weigh up whether it would be the best decision for the player as an individual.

At Harrogate he is guaranteed to start pretty much every week, whilst at the Stadium of Light it would be a different story entirely.

The whole idea of sending the winger out on loan in the first place was to get him regular football, so bringing him back prematurely could defeat that aim.

However with options thin on the ground this could be a very easy option for the Black Cats to take as they bid to add some much needed depth to their ranks.