SUNDERLAND are lining up a move for midfield free agent David Cotterill as Chris Coleman looks to remodel his Stadium of Light squad in the face of strict financial constraints.

Coleman is facing a midfield crisis as he prepares for Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie with Middlesbrough, with Darron Gibson having become the latest player to join the long-term absentee list.

Gibson will be sidelined for more than a month after undergoing groin surgery, and the Irish international is joined in the treatment room by Duncan Watmore, who will miss the remainder of the season, and Lee Cattermole, Didier Ndong and Jonny Williams, who will remain unavailable for at least the next couple of weeks.

Coleman is desperate to make midfield reinforcements as quickly as possible, and is pondering the offer of a short-term deal to Cotterill, who was released from his former contract at Birmingham City last month.

Birmingham axed the 30-year-old to create space on their own wage bill, but having worked with the right-midfielder during his time in charge of Wales, Coleman is aware of his enduring qualities.

Cotterill has won 30 senior caps for Wales, and was a member of Coleman’s squad that made it to the semi-finals of 2016’s European Championships in France.

He boasts more than 370 career appearances, the vast majority of which have come in the Championship, and spent time with Bristol City, Wigan, Sheffield United, Swansea, Portsmouth, Barnsley and Doncaster prior to joining Birmingham in the summer of 2014.

He was a regular starter under Gary Rowett, but has struggled to make much of an impact under current Blues boss Steve Cotterill. His final appearance as a Birmingham player came as a second-half substitute in November’s 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough, and he is keen to secure new employers as quickly as possible following his release from St Andrew’s.

Sunderland could opt to offer him a short-term contract until the end of the season, although it remains to be seen whether Cotterill would be willing to accept a deal of anything less than 18 months.

Coleman is considering alternative midfield options, although Sunderland’s lack of financial wriggle room is already making it difficult for him to complete deals.

Newcastle outcast Jack Colback is an option, but Sunderland would need their bitter North-East rivals to fund the vast majority of their former midfielder’s wages, which are understood to be worth around £70,000-a-week.

Similarly, while Middlesbrough pair Adam Clayton and Adam Forshaw are both serious options, Sunderland will find it hard to compete with the financial offers that could be tabled by a number of other Championship clubs that have also been linked with the Teesside duo.