Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has insisted that he will give it time before deciding whether to keep Connor Wickham at the club.
The striker is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday until the New Year, though reports have suggested that the 20-year-old could be sold in the January transfer window.
However, Poyet plans to hold talks with Wickham in order to establish whether the player will stay at the Stadium of Light.
"Nothing's been decided, although it's not something I would usually comment on. But we haven't even talked about [a permanent departure]," he told the Sunderland Echo.
"He needs to play and after he gets back from loan, we will talk with him as well. We knew he needed to play a few games and we are keeping an eye on him all the time."
Wickham has scored four goals in six games during his loan spell with Wednesday.
