Lee Johnson's provides loan update ahead of Sunderland's crucial January transfer window and his verdict on the 'best side in the division' Rotherham United

Loan players like Callum Doyle and Nathan Broadhead have impressed at the Stadium of Light this season as they slowly find their feet in senior football.

However, as January approaches, it’s only natural that supporters may become anxious about losing the pair back to parent clubs Manchester City and Everton respectively.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Plymouth Argyle, Black Cats boss Lee Johnson has provided an update on the situation involving these players, as well as plans to strengthen the squad in January:

“There will always be clauses [in the deal] but I expect both of them to stay first and foremost.

"I think the parent clubs will be looking [to see] are they being well looked after? Are they getting the minutes and developing their careers?

"And I think if the answers are yes, yes, yes to all those things, then I would expect us to be good in the second-half of the season with those players.

"Obviously, you’ve got the West Ham scenario with [Frederik] Alves and that is slightly different in terms of, yes, it might be the right club and he might be being well looked after, but he hasn’t had the minutes that he, we or West Ham would have wanted.

"So there might be a decision on that one that might be out of our hands, but like I say, we will have to see and have to contact them.

"But, as a general rule, we’re obviously happy with our squad and we want to add, we don’t necessarily want to lose players, we want to add to our squad and make sure we come out of it stronger.”

Tomorrow’s clash at the Stadium of Light is set to be a crunch fixture between two automatic promotion chasing sides. Argyle sit just one spot below Sunderland in League One and fans will be hoping Johnson’s side can put in a good performance against a promotion chasing side, something they have had mixed fortunes with this campaign.

Many will remember their 5-1 defeat to Rotherham at the end of October and Johnson is keen to put memories of that game, against a team he describes as the ‘best in the division’ to bed:

"Our big defeats have come at Rotherham where a) we were poor, b) we were down to ten men for a large portion of the game and c) we were on the back of a really tough run physically for individuals and playing a fresh Rotherham who are probably the best team in the league at the moment.

Johnson continued: "But we’ve also performed outstandingly well against Cheltenham and Morecambe and obviously picked up big wins at home so there’s always context behind any performance and any game.

“But this one [against Plymouth], we go into it, although slightly short of numbers, in good form as individuals and as a team.”

Sunderland have an outside chance of finishing the weekend top of the League One table if they can defeat Steven Schumacher’s side and results elsewhere go their way.

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