It's A 'Catch 22' situation - Martin O’Neill says the player will only make significant progress with first-team action - but his attacking options have been boosted by the £5million deadline day capture of Graham.
That does not suggest O'Neill is going to go ahead with a 4-4-2 system the fans are craving for.
It looks very much like Steven Fletcher OR Danny Graham.
The emergency loan window for Football League clubs opened yesterday and I'm sure Championship clubs will form a queue.
But Sunderland would have a recall clause after 28 days in any loan switch.
Martin O’Neill: “A couple of clubs have enquired about him and I’ve spoken to his agent as well.
“It’s one where it’s an outfield player in a position where we’ve got a couple of options at this moment.
“Now that Connor has got a bit of momentum going, having played in the first team, we want to ensure that progress continues.
“And he’s obviously anxious to play as many games as possible, so it’s something I’ve looked at.”