LEE CONGERTON has instructed Sunderland’s scouting network to scour Europe for potential summer signings despite the uncertainty surrounding the club’s Premier League position.

The Black Cats have back-to-back home dates with Newcastle United and Crystal Palace on the horizon and those are shaping up to be pivotal fixtures in the relegation run-in.

But Congerton, Sunderland’s sporting director, is keen to have plans in place for the summer regardless of what division they are playing in next season and wants possible targets to be monitored in the remaining weeks of the campaign.

Portuguese media have reported that Sunderland had representatives at Portugal’s Under-21s game with Denmark during the international break and they will be heading for more games before the Magpies’ visit to the Stadium of Light next weekend.

While Portugal is seen as one of Europe’s hot-beds for young talents, it is understood Sunderland are not purely focused on that area and are weighing up targets in France, Germany, Holland and Belgium, among others.

Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton were also represented at the Under-21s game which ended goalless and it was suggested that 21-year-old Braga forward Rafa Silva is the player attracting a lot of the attention from outside of Portugal.

While Congerton’s work is ongoing behind-the-scenes to have the club primed for a summer of transfer business, he is also considering candidates to fill the head coach position on a full-time basis. Dick Advocaat is set to take charge of his second game against Newcastle on Sunday.

Former Sunderland winger James McClean, meanwhile, has criticised the Wearside club for the way they handled his decision not to wear a Remembrance Day poppy on his shirt back in 2012.

The 25-year-old, from Derry, opted against wearing a specially embroidered shirt and finally explained his reasoning behind the decision when he wrote then Wigan chairman Dave Whelan an open letter following his switch to the Latics.

McClean, who was criticised by Sunderland’s fans, said: “Speaking honestly I was hung out to dry by the press people at Sunderland. That day we were playing Everton and the manager (Martin O’Neill) was brilliant about it. He understood. He said ‘if that’s your decision, I fully support you. None of the players had an issue with it.

“But pre-game the press officer went out and issued a statement saying that I wouldn’t be wearing a poppy, that it was my own decision and that, as a club, they fully supported the poppy appeal.

“That just drew attention on to it straight away. I don’t think it would have been anywhere near as bad as it got if that hadn’t happened.

“Then, when I asked to be allowed to speak about it, I was told that that was a bad idea, not to say anything and to let it blow over, so it was kind of brushed under the table; and I felt that was for the club’s benefit than mine.

“I think it could have saved so much hassle. When you think, two years later, I finally get to speak about it – for me, that’s two years too late. It could have nipped it in the bud from day one. Was there any need to make that statement prior to the game? No, there wasn’t.

“To this day I still have a kind of annoyance that that was the case. It irritates me because with people not knowing my reasons, even my own fans turned on me. They didn’t understand. To them, I was disrespecting their fallen heroes, disrespecting their culture, this and that.

“Because I was pushed in to a corner and not allowed to say anything, people didn’t know and they turned on me.”