Tony Mowbray says a report that Danny Batth has decided against leaving Sunderland is ‘news to me’ – and insists he is not trying to push the defender out of the club. Batth has been linked with a move to Sunderland’s Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers over the summer, and last week a report emerged saying that Rovers had made a formal approach to the Black Cats for him.

Now the latest information coming from North-West journalist Alan Nixon is that Batth, who is in the final year of his contract, has decided to stay at Sunderland and fight for his place. But, if that is the case, Mowbray was unaware of it when he was asked if he had any update following Sunderland’s goalless draw at Coventry City yesterday, when Batth was an unused substitute.

“That’s news to me,” said Mowbray. “I don’t know.

 Sunderland might struggle to sign another striker ahead of the transfer deadline admits Tony Mowbray

“I love them all really, that’s my job. They have to feel that the gaffer is on their side.

“I talk to them every day, I’m not trying to push them out of the door. I love these footballers, they have got families, they have kids, the kids come to the functions, they are amazing people.

“If they are here, I am happy for them. If they move and get more money and more scurity for their wife and their kids, fantastic.

“If they are going to be here, they will get every bit of support from me. It’s out of my hands a little bit.

“The Danny Batth situation? I think you could see today that [centre-backs] Dan Ballard and Luke O’Nien are pretty good, mobile, athletic, composed.

“Danny was brilliant at first-contacts at set-plays in both boxes and dominated the big physical guys for us last year. If he is here when the window shuts, he will have to compete to get in the team.

“If he doesn’t, he might get frustrated and want to go and play.”

Batth is one of three senior men linked with a move during the current window, the others being Alex Pritchard and Lynden Gooch, with the latter two also in the final year of their contracts. Mowbray said: “It’s not the club trying to get rid of people, it’s the club saying we are trying to build for the future.

“You can see how we buy young footballers, 18, 19, 20, who need polishing up. If they need gametime to get to the level to show that they are real assets for the club, I will be giving them gametime.

“Some of the senior players, if there is a club out there that wants to take them and our club does a deal and it’s right for them, I’ll shake them by the hand and say ‘thanks for everything you have done over the last year for me and for the football club’.

“Those lads – Gooch, Pritchard, and Danny Batth – all were a massive part of getting this club out of League One and the fans will never forget that, I’m sure.”

While Batth was an unused sub, Pritchard came off the bench for the final 20 minutes. Gooch was absent with a minor hamstring problem, but he is expected to be back in training next week.

Mowbray said: “Lynden felt his hamstring in training a couple of days ago. He’s had it a few times this season already, it’s generally very minor, if anything I think he will be training in the early part of next week and he’ll be back playing very soon.”