Who is Josh Doig? The Hibernian defender linked with Sunderland and Stoke City - who has earned high praise from Jack Ross

The Black Cats are in the market for a left-sided defender this month after Denver Hume suffered an injury setback earlier this month, leaving Callum McFadzean as the club’s only recognised option in that department.

So who is Doig, and what would he bring to the Sunderland squad, and how likely is a deal to happen? We take a look:

Where has Josh Doig played before?

Doig has come through the ranks at Hibernian and is now plying his trade in the senior side at Easter Road.

He has made 18 appearances this term, the vast majority of them in the Scottish Premier League, having climbed ahead of the experienced Lewis Stevenson in the pecking order.

Prior to this season, his only senior experience had come at Queen’s Park – where he played seven times in the Scottish fourth tier during the 2019/20 campaign.

Doig has also been capped by Scotland at under-18 level.

What type of player is he?

Very much a modern full-back, Doig is happy to contribute to the attacking phase as well as doing the nitty gritty of defending.

His energy is a key attribute and allows him to get up and down the flank and play a pivotal role at both ends of the field.

It’s attributes such as these which may well have seen him creep onto Lee Johnson’s radar.

What has his current manager said?

Speaking about Doig earlier this season, Hibs boss Jack Ross said: “At 18 years old, for Josh to have played so many games and made the impact he has is impressive.

“He is growing all the time in stature and becoming more confident.

“I speak often enough about Lewis supporting and helping him – and I think that we’ve used Josh sensibly this year, in terms of the times we’ve brought him out of the team.

“But at the moment, he is in the team on merit, which is great for him.”

What are the chances of a deal happening?

Doig is reportedly a man in demand, with media outlets north of the border claiming that Championship side Stoke City are monitoring his progress.

Given he has progressed through the ranks at Easter Road, Hibs are likely to want to recoup a fee for the youngster – and, as we've seen in the case of Kevin Nisbet this month, the club are in no rush to sell this month.

Given his age, Doig wouldn’t come into Sunderland’s salary cap calculations but it may prove a tricky deal to do regardless.

Johnson is undoubtedly keen to add a left-back to his side before the window closes on February and several names have been linked.

As well as Doig, AFC Wimbledon’s Paul Osew and Brighton youngster Alex Cochrane have been touted as potential targets.

And it would be a surprise were the deadline to pass without a left-back putting pen to paper on a deal on Wearside.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor:

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

We’ve launched a new transfer window special offer for readers to get 20% off our subscription package.

Use the promo code TRANSFER20 to sign up here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor