Tony Mowbray says Bailey Wright remains 'very much' a part of Sunderland's setup and has hinted he is unlikely to leave Wearside this month despite the Australia international being linked with a move. Wright has found himself pushed down the pecking order this season, with Danny Batth, Luke O'Nien, Dennis Cirkin, and summer arrivals Daniel Ballard and Aji Alese all picked ahead of him in central defence at various times.
And reports over the last week have suggested that Wright has emerged as a transfer target for Scottish Premiership sides Aberdeen and Hibernian - the latter giving Wright an opportunity for a reunion with his old Sunderland and Bristol City boss Lee Johnson. But Mowbray said today that Sunderland are currently light on numbers in central defence, with O'Nien starting a three-game suspension while Alese and Cirkin are still on the injured list, and there is also a concern over either Ballard or Batth although the head coach would not be drawn on which one.
Sunderland were waiting on the results of a scan this afternoon and, depending on the outcome, Wright could be drafted into the starting XI for Sunday's home game against Middlesbrough. Given the lack of numbers in that area at present, Mowbray indicated that Wright would be unlikely to move on this month - although he did acknowledge that when everyone is available his squad does have an 'overload' in central defence.
READ MORE: Sunderland left short in defence ahead of Middlesbrough game, admits Tony Mowbray
"I talk to all the players when I feel there are any issues around them," said Mowbray. "At this moment, Bailey Wright is very much part of our setup and there's an opportunity potentially for him to start this game [against Boro] depending on whether a scan goes right or wrong for us this afternoon.
"It's not in my mind to think about Bailey staying or going, and I'm not sure that publicly I want to talk about people's situations. Those conversations between coaches and players are private.
"What I would say is that if everybody is fit and available in our squad, there is probably an overload of five or six central defenders."
Mowbray would not stand in the way of a player moving on if they feel they would get regular football elsewhere, but at the same time he will not allow anyone to leave if it would result in Sunderland being left short. He said: "I'm very much about the individual and what's right for them.
"If you're talking about a footballer of, say, 32 or 33 years old and when everybody is fit he finds he is not on the bench, the human side of me says 'what do you want to do - sit here and train every day, or explore other avenues?' If they want to explore other avenues then I am sympathetic to that.
"But we have to put the football club first, and the football club needs people at certain times and they won't go anywhere."
Wright has been involved in 15 of Sunderland's 29 games in all competitions this season, but has started only six of their 27 Championship matches.
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