Michael Beale explains Sunderland's surprise deadline-day loan striker decision and what's next for youngster

Michael Beale says Luis Hemir is firmly in this thoughts for selection and has explained why Sunderland opted to keep the young striker at the club until the end of the season.

Hemir had initially been expected to go out on loan last month but Sunderland instead chose to sanction Eliezer Mayenda's short-term departure, with the forward joining Nectar Triantis on loan at Hibernian until the end of the season.

The youngster, who joined Sunderland from Benfica in the summer, scored in an U21 game on Monday night to further push his claim for selection. Sunderland's head coach said the club would be patient with Hemir but hinted that there would be chances for him to impress sooner rather than later.

"It's a big number No.9 at Sunderland," Beale said.

"At a young age, it's the expectation that comes with it. When I see Hemir train every day his finishing is very good. There are other areas he has to improve for certain. He's young, I think he's certainly a player for the future. I put him on recently and he did quite well - he made me think.

"Mayenda is a bit younger and we felt it was right for him to go out. In giving one or two players the opportunity to go out, when the injuries come we are tight. We trained with 18 today, that's what we've got.

"So somebody had to stay in and we feel at this moment in time that Semedo, Rusyn and Burstow are the right three to lead our line, where Mayenda at this moment at a younger age will probably play off the right. In that position I have Abdoullah playing well, I have Pat, Romaine [Mundle] was coming in, so it made sense.

"Then there's the element of someone like Nectar [Triantis], he's just gone and played two 90 minutes in four or five days, that's given him massive oxygen. We're watching that with a view of Nectar coming back in the summer and having the opportunity to play here.

"It's a fine juggling act, you need to keep as much in-house but you need to know those in-house are getting enough out of the programme. It's never an exact science."

Speaking shortly after the window closed, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said there had been a lot of interest in Hemir but agreed with Beale that it was the right decision to keep him on Wearside.

"I think there are two things," Speakman said of Mayenda's departure.

"One is about providing opportunities for the players. We think for him and Nectar going to Hibs is similar culture, similar league, not too far up the road. I think there are real positives in how aligned those two environments are. Ultimately for the players in the building you want to feel like there's an opportunity to get in the team - I think having an inflated and larger squad means players can feel a little bit further away from getting into the group.

"We made a chose to keep Hemir in," he added.

"He had loads of opportunities to go out and I think it's a real good marker for us in how much interest there was in those players outside of the building that points to how talented they are. We have to bring those boys through."