Jack Ross considers trial for ex-Newcastle United defender David Edgar and delivers verdict on Sunderland trialist

The ex-Newcastle United defender is on Ross’ radar, though the Black Cats boss admits he is in “no desperate rush” to bolster his squad.

A decision on whether to bring Edgar in for a closer look is due to be taken after the coming week, with Sunderland facing three games in eight days.

Sunderland travel to Walsall today in the FA Cup, host Notts County in the Checkatrade Trophy Tuesday before next Saturday’s League One clash at Accrington Stanley.

The Canada international is available on a free transfer after most recently playing in the MLS for Ottawa Fury. The 31-year-old has 42 caps for Canada.

Defensive reinforcements could be on the agenda for Ross, who took Armenian centre-back Gael Andonian on trial earlier this season.

Asked if Edgar could be handed a trial, Ross said: “Possibly, we might do, might be something we look at over the next week or so.

“We have a lot of games at the moment as well obviously.

“It is nothing to lose to look at a player, it is very different if somebody is under contract etc

“But there is no desperate rush from me to change the squad in anyway. So, we’ll see.

“Once we get these games out the way we will probably look at that and decide if it is something worthwhile for us or not.”

Ross added: “We get a lot of players put to us at this stage of the season, there is a variety in terms of availability.

“Some players when they are free agents it becomes a little bit easier to possibly have a look at them.

“That is where we are at with that. Nothing more than that.”

Edgar has previously played for Newcastle United, Swansea City, Burnley, Sheffield United, Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town, Vancouver Whitecaps and Ottawa.

Sunderland did have one trialist in this week, forward Sam Smart from non-league Basingstoke Town.

The 20-year-old impressed for Sunderland U23s in a defeat against Middlesbrough on Monday in front of Ross.

No deal has been discussed but Ross has confirmed should the Black Cats make a move then it would be with a view to him joining the U23 squad.

Ross said: “I hadn’t seen him prior to that game, he had been training with the 23s.

“Elliott Dickman, Paul Reid and Michael Proctor will have that conversation. There is an input from me in terms of how they build that squad, simply because we have to be aware of players ages and see where they are at.

“The difference with a player like that is he obviously plays first team football already, albeit at a lower level.

“I don’t want us to create, what we’ve maybe had here recently, where we have had a lot of players getting too old to have only just played U23 football.

“It is certainly not been anything we’ve looked at from a first team point of view.”

Ross added: “I thought he did well on Monday, I hadn’t seen him train at all. I was there to watch Duncan and wanted to see Bali as I haven’t seen him play much recently.

“In terms of someone coming in and trying to impress a new group, he couldn’t have done an awful lot more.”