O'Neill in no rush to lose striker

Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill has revealed he is in no hurry to loan out England under-21 striker Connor Wickham.

Wickham has yet to make a senior appearance for the Black Cats this season and O'Neill has made it clear he is willing to allow him to go elsewhere on a temporary basis to get some first-team action to aid his development. The £8m teenager has been linked with a host of clubs in recent weeks and a possible return to his old team Ipswich has been mooted, but his wage demands are proving a stumbling block. The 19-year-old has been included as an unused substitute on several occasions by O'Neill this term, but the bulk of his football has been for Sunderland's reserves in the new Premier Under-21 League. O'Neill said: "If he came to me and asked me if I could afford to lose him for a month because he wanted to go out and get three or four games, I'd give it some consideration. "The fact is that he is playing at Under 21 level, so it is not lack of fitness that would concern me if he was put into the first team."