Tony Mowbray on Sunderland's other possible transfer priority after injury blow

Tony Mowbray says that Sunderland could reinforce their central midfield options before the end of the transfer window, but adding to the club's attacking options remains very much the primary focus for now.

Sunderland's lack of depth up front has understandably dominated the headlines in the early stages of the season, with Mowbray's side unable to capitalise on two solid performances and thus still yet to pick up their first point of the campaign.

The head coach said after the defeat to Preston North End that he hoped a midweek without a Championship fixture could allow the club to recruit before Rotherham United's visit to the Stadium of Light this weekend, a fixture now with added importance given the slow start.

Up front is not the club's only possible concern, though. Mowbray's midfield options were hit in the final game of the pre-season tour of the US when Jay Matete, making a positive impression following his loan from Plymouth Argyle, suffered a knee injury.

Matete required surgery with his head coach initially stating that it was an injury that could take at least ten weeks to clear. Further assessment has made clear that it will be the upper end of that timescale before the 22-year-old is ready to return.

As such, there is an obvious lack of both depth and experience in the central midfield position.

While Corry Evans is making steady progress in his recovery from an ACL injury, Mowbray is not anticipating his return until sometime around the new year.

"I think it's going to be months rather than weeks, for Matete," Mowbray said.

"Maybe three months - November?

"At the moment I don't have the exact time scale but it was quite a bad one.

"Hopefully he will be back before Christmas. I'm sure he will be back before Christmas and competing.

"The midfield area is quite light if you think that there's Dan Neil, Pierre Ekwah, and then Jobe - after that you are into Chris Rigg, who is a 16-year-old boy.

"It's an area that maybe we should be looking at," he added.

"I think the reality is that we have to get the front end of the pitch sorted out first but we are mindful that we are a bit light in there.

"If Dan or Pierre were to pick up an injury, it suddenly starts to look really thin in that area of the pitch.

"We could drop Jobe in there but he is a 17-year-old boy. That seems daft because at some stage if you make a substitution you'll have a 16-year-old [Rigg] and a 17-year-old playing central midfield in the Championship which is not ideal.

"It's an area that potentially we might look for a more experienced footballer to help the area out. Dan is 21, Pierre is 21  - it's not as if they are 26 or 27 and have 300 appearances under their belts."

Mowbray will at least see his attacking midfield options reinforced when Elliot Embleton returns from a long-term injury, hopefully after the September international break.