Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has revealed that he has been given a hint that that his former side could be set to sell two huge names in January.

Phillips reveals transfer information

The Black Cats duo of Aiden McGeady and Will Grigg were the two individuals that were named, with the Irish winger having just seven months to run on his contract, from which he is earning £19k-per-week at the Stadium of Light (Salary Sport).

His Northern Irish teammate's current deal ends in 2022 and he is currently taking home £6k-per-week from the North East outfit (Salary Sport).

Both players have started just five games between them this season and speaking to Football Insider, Phillips said that he believes that both could be offloaded in January to cut the wage bill.

“It is tough for McGeady,” he said.

“I imagine a conversation has been had with McGeady. I think he has asked whether he still wants to play for the football club and he must have liked what he heard.

“Right now it is a case of, ‘Give me what you can and I will bring you off.’ It backfired last week because they did not get the result that they wanted but this week…

“McGeady is a tough one. You could cash in on him in January and bring in a younger player.

“I heard last week that the club is starting from scratch again. That could mean getting rid of a Grigg and a McGeady or bringing youth players in.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

It will be a big call for Johnson to make to let the duo go, but could turn out to be a sensible one from Sunderland.

High wage earners are no use to anybody if they are just keeping the bench warm, and their salaries are eating into the club's budget and those funds could be used on other assets.

That being said, time will tell what Johnson ultimately decides to do. Having recently taken the hot seat, he will have time to imprint his identity to his squad and make his decisions about possible outgoings in January

In other news, Sunderland supporters criticise Lee Johnson for benching key asset vs Lincoln City.