ANDY COLE is on the verge of becoming the latest addition to Roy Keane's Sunderland squad.

Cole is expected for a medical at the Academy of Light and will arrive on a Bosman free, having mutually agreed to have his contract at Portsmouth cancelled this summer.

The 35-year-old should bring much-needed experience to a forward line that has plenty of youthful endeavour, while it will see him reunited with his former Old Trafford team-mates Dwight Yorke and Keane.

Provided Cole does arrive, he will do so as the second most potent goalscorer in Premier League history, having scored 188 goals during spells with United, Newcastle, Blackburn, Fulham, Manchester City and most recently Portsmouth.

Trying to persuade Cole, who made his name at St James' Park under Kevin Keegan, to move to Sunderland is a further indication that Keane remains on the look out for new faces.

The Irishman is also hopeful of landing left-back Danny Higginbotham from Stoke, with a £2.4m part-exchange deal involving Graham Kavanagh the second offer to be rebuffed, while a new right-midfielder has also entered his thinking.

Former Leeds left-back Ian Harte, who has been training with Sunderland, is also hoping to land a deal at the Stadium of Light.

With winger Carlos Edwards ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury, Keane is having to ask players to play out of position to make up for the loss.

And Grant Leadbitter, the young midfielder who returned to training for the first time yesterday after recovering from a similar problem, feels the more new faces that are drafted in the better.

"It was a massive blow to lose Carlos because he is an important member of the squad," said Leadbitter.

"I hope the gaffer gets the new players he is looking for because it gives that extra push for places and people know if they don't perform they won't be in the side.

"It all benefits the team at the end of the day. I could be asked to play right-midfield when I'm fully fit. I just want to play well and it doesn't matter where."

Leadbitter's first training session since tearing his hamstring in the friendly with Juventus came as a relief, and ahead of schedule. The 21-year-old had been expected to be out for up to six weeks, although he could be involved in next Thursday's reserves derby with Newcastle at the Stadium of Light.

He said: "I'm pleased to be back and hopefully it will go okay in the next few days and I'll be back in the reckoning soon.

"It was a bad time for me when I was injured but I'm just looking forward now. I was just gutted when it happened. I knew straight away.

"I had been looking forward to playing every single game this season, they're all important. I just hope to be back as soon as possible."

Leadbitter had an important part to play in last season's Championship-winning year and had hoped to start the new campaign in Keane's team.

And, after shrugging off the disappointment, he is just eager to be involved again in the hope of transforming Sunderland's fortunes after Saturday's defeat to Wigan.

"The lads have been doing a good job in keeping my spirits up, they knew I was down in the dumps the first few games after it happened," said the Academy product from Fencehouses, who is not under consideration for Saturday's visit of Liverpool.

"But after that everyone gathered around me, they knew it was bad time to be injured.

"The lads did very well in the first two games of the season and I know they're disappointed with the way they played at Wigan, but we will bounce back, I know that.

"There will be a tough couple of games coming with Liverpool and Man United but I'm sure the lads will do a good job."