Roberto Martinez will avoid the temptation to turn the January transfer market to bring in defensive reinforcements, instead, preferring to look towards Tyias Browning, Brendan Galloway and Matthew Pennington.
Martinez: I feel Tyias Browning is ready to play. I don’t expect John Stones to be far away. By the turn of the year he will be fully fit.
“And if we need to look a little bit deeper into the Under-21s I would rather give opportunities to Brendan Galloway and Matthew Pennington before going into the transfer market.
“I want to keep the squad as strong as it is now and rely on that feeling that we have in the dressing room.
“Tony Hibbert can also play centre-half so I think we have options in the squad to do that”