Lee Johnson responds to Danny Graham exit claims as he outlines where Sunderland striker currently stands

Johnson has confirmed that the decision to bring Lynden Gooch back into the matchday 18 for the 1-0 win over Ipswich Town was a tactical one.

The head coach is eager to freshen up his forward line before the window shuts on Monday night, which could lead to Will Grigg leaving on loan.

Graham is another who has been linked with an exit but Johnson wants four strikers as he heads into the second half of a packed fixture schedule, and has told The Echo that he has not any talks with the 35-year-old over his future.

"We haven't had any of those conversations with Danny," Johnson said.

"He's been exemplary in terms of his professionalism and where he sits in the squad.

"All the conversations I've had with Danny have been about performance and how we get the best out of him, how we drive him in training.

"There haven't been any of those types of conversations [around an exit] at all.

"Lynden came back in because I thought we was excellent against Port Vale and really unfortunate to get hit with asymptomatic COVID.

"In that Port Vale game I thought he showed exactly what we needed.

"I had a good chat with Danny and he understood, he's an excellent professional and you would expect that from someone with as many games as he's had in his career at a high level."

Johnson hopes to 'ideally' sign three players before the deadline, and is confident he can at least add one.

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