Sunderland were recently hit with a huge injury setback as club captain Corry Evans was ruled out for the remainder of the season after damaging his anterior cruciate ligament.

The midfielder suffered the injury in the recent Championship win over Middlesbrough and is now expected to undergo surgery before starting his recovery process.

When asked if the blow could tempt him back into the market for a replacement, Black Cats manager Tony Mowbray gave this reply: "We've had some initial conversations [about transfers] so we just have to wait and see how it impacts on the other stuff that we're trying to do.

"We have added extra competition with Pierre Ekwah and we're pushing on with other areas of the pitch but we've got a few days to potentially to look at it and see if something could be done."

Whilst Sunderland could use the final few days of the January transfer window to bring in a new signing to bolster the club's options in that position, Mowbray could also save Kristjaan Speakman millions by unearthing a gem from the academy.

Harrison Sohna could step up and compete for a place in the midfield alongside the likes of Luke O'Nien, Edouard Michut and Dan Neil, if if given the opportunity to do so.

The 20-year-old is a combative midfielder who was given a chance to catch the eye in the Carabao Cup earlier this season against Sheffield Wednesday and showed signs of promise. He made four tackles and interceptions combined whilst winning 100% of his aerial battles, and he completed 79% of his attempted passes against the League One opposition (as per Sofascore).

Sohna also made three interceptions and two tackles in three EFL Trophy matches in the first half of the campaign, along with completing 88% of his passes and creating two chances for his team-mates as he showed his quality on both sides of the game.

Journalist Josh Bunting recently described the youngster as "sharp" and "excellent" as he caught the eye in a pre-season friendly last summer, and his statistics in the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy this term suggest that Sohna has followed up on that early promise.

The 20-year-old may not have the experience that a player like Evans brings in the middle of the park, but the former Aston Villa talent has shown that he has the potential to be a combative, ball-winning force in midfield, and that is why Mowbray must use this injury as an excuse to unleash the prospect rather than taking a late punt in the transfer market.