(Reuters) - Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone has been ruled out for at least three months with an elbow injury and the Premier League club will target a replacement before the transfer window ends, manager David Moyes said on Friday.
The 28-year-old Italian, who signed a two-year contract extension last month, picked up the injury in training on Tuesday. Jordan Pickford will start in goal for Saturday's game against Southampton.
"Its not good news, he's torn ligaments in his elbow. We're just finding out if it'll require surgery or whether it can be put in a brace for the time being but its a significant injury," Moyes told reporters on Friday.
"The doctors' first feeling is that it would be a minimum of three months (out). We definitely need to look for another goalkeeper because we only have a young 'keeper after Jordan Pickford. He now has his chance to show what he can do."
Sunderland have added Papy Djilobodji, Paddy McNair, Donald Love, Adnan Januzaj and Steven Pienaar to the squad in the transfer window. Moyes confirmed the club's interest in Seville midfielder Vicente Iborra.
Sunderland lost their opening two league matches of the season to Manchester City and north-east rivals Middlesbrough.
"If we can go to Southampton and get a point it would be a good result, but we want to go there and win," Moyes said.
"I thought Southampton played really well at (Manchester) United and thought they were unlucky. The club have a real solidity about them."