Mike Dodds explains latest with interim Sunderland role - and drops Leeds United selection hint

Mike Dodds says he has not been given any update on Sunderland's head coach search as he prepares to lead the team against Leeds United on Tuesday night.

Dodds won his first game as interim head coach on Saturday against West Brom but insists he hasn't give any thought to whether a win against Leeds would strengthen his claim for a longer spell at the helm.

"It's business as usual, I want to give you something else but that's what it is," Dodds said.

"I've not had any conversations with the hierarchy about it. There was a well done after the game and a few handshakes and we'll fill you in when we have some more information.

"It was always the plan prior to West Brom, that we'd map the next three or four games out, even the Coventry game beyond that," he added.

"There's already preparations gone on for Bristol City behind the scenes. We have to focus tomorrow night but when they come back in on Thursday that two-day lead-in will all be organised.

"If I had a pound for every time someone asked me that! [whether he'd thought about his chances for the job long term]. No, it hasn't, I'll be honest with you. Without going over old ground, I knew how difficult these two games would be.

"Carlos is a really good coach and I think you saw that for the first half an hour. He tweaked one or two things which I don't think caused us a problem but they had too much control.

"I've never come up against Daniel Farke but his reputation speaks for itself. You look at the way his team plays, you can see they're a good, good team and really well coached.

"So I literally haven't had any time to think about anything other than West Brom, and then after the game I said to the players enjoy the next hour because we have to be fully prepared for Tuesday. Then when Wednesday comes around, we'll see how the performance goes, we have Wednesday off so I might get a bit of a breather then and reflection time."

Dodds said there were no fresh injuries ahead of the Leeds game, though Jewison Bennette remains absent with a minor ankle knock. Significant changes for the game seem unlikely given the West Brom performance, though Dodds has previously said that he'll consider bringing Alex Pritchard into the side.

The interim head coach confirmed that Jobe Bellingham is fit to start after playing the full game up front against West Brom - with impressive results.

"The challenge you always have is that you plan for Tuesday but of course you have to wait for happens on Saturday, how everyone is on Sunday morning... that's always the challenge you have when you a process that you want to work to," he said of selection.

"The other challenge is how much you want to change and freshen up because it was a really, really good performance.

"Any decisions I do make, whether it's to bring anyone else in or not, you have to take that human element into consideration. Quite rightly so, they'll be thinking 'why?' So I always speak to the group and the individuals so they at least understand why.

"The preparation has gone as we would have hoped, there's no new injuries and everyone is fully fit and able to start. The decision is how much we want to tinker or change..

"Jewison came back from international duty and was out for a good few days with this flu that has been going around," Dodds added.

"He came back in but then picked up an ankle knock in a bounce game that we had, and it's just been about being precautionary from there. He got a kick in one of the small-sided games so that was why he wasn't in the squad on Saturday. He hasn't trained today so he won't be in the squad tomorrow, but we're hoping he'll be back with us on Thursday or Friday."