Phil Parkinson discusses transfers, Callum McFadzean and Dion Sanderson's Sunderland availability

The Black Cats boss added Callum McFadzean to his squad earlier this week, and says that he is now satisfied with the options at his disposal.

A natural left wing-back, the arrival of McFadzean brought an end to a long search for a player who can add cover and competition for Denver Hume.

It was a significant boost for Parkinson, who had signed Dion Sanderson on deadline day to offer another quality option to his defensive ranks.

McFadzean is unlikely to be involved when Sunderland face Portsmouth on Saturday afternoon, but Parkinson says his fitness levels are encouraging nevertheless.

“That will be it [for signings] now,” Parkinson said.

“We wanted to bring in someone to compete with Denver, a natural left-footer as well. That was one of the main attractions when it came to Callum.

“Obviously when Lynden Gooch played there's put a cross in on his left foot for a goal, but having another left-footed player was key.

“Callum has work to do but equally, we had him in last week and physically he's looked after himself.

“He's trained well, I'm pleased with him.”

Sanderson watched from the stands as Sunderland beat Crewe Alexandra 1-0 on Tuesday night, with Parkinson stressing that he wants to ensure the youngster is fully fit before he makes his debut.

The 20-year-old has suffered a minor groin injury in the week before his arrival on Wearside, further strengthening Parkinson’s resolve to be cautious.

He has taken a full part in training this week, but the return of Jordan Willis means competition for places in significant.

“Dion came in and Wolves spoke to us about just making sure we integrated him into the squad because he'd missed a bit of training there in the previous week,” Parkinson said.

“It wasn't a major problem but he had a scan on his groin and the two medicals team spoke about it.

“They were just keen to make sure he was absolutely right.

Dion understands that and I just said to him that we've got to keep that relationship strong. To throw him in with very little training on Tuesday would have been wrong.

“He's had a decent week and he adds good competition to the squad.”

Parkinson revealed that the pair had a ‘good’ conversation on Monday about the season ahead, with Sanderson noting how well the reshuffled Sunderland defence had coped at The County Ground.

The Black Cats boss is adamant that Sanderson will make a significant contribution over the course of the campaign, but also confirmed that there are no clauses in the loan deal which mean he is obligated to select the youngster when fit.

“Dion knows [where he stands],” Parkinson said.

“He's come up to Sunderland, watched the Swindon game online. We had a good chat on Monday, he said that we've got good players and a good team.

“He understands that he's got to get himself up to speed.

“He'll be a good addition.”

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