Although happy with the strength of his first XI, Hughton has acknowledged his squad is lacking in depth with the packed festive programme approaching. That is likely to influence his thinking as he makes a decision on Pancrate, who can operate in a number of positions and would offer excellent back-up to Danny Guthrie and Ryan Taylor in the right midfield slot. Hughton denied that looking at Pancrate was evidence that United are looking to strengthen “on the cheap” – saying that the Frenchman’s pedigree convinced him to take a closer look. “It’s not a question of us having to go down this avenue because of a lack of funds. When chances come your way with a player who has played at a good level for a number of years you will have a look at him,” he said. “There is certainly a willingness on behalf of the club that if we want to strengthen in certain areas then yes I will get that support from above. “It’s not always about players that can go straight into the team. It’s also about having a well-equipped squad to handle the rigours of the next few months.” Although Pancrate could be offered a short-term deal before the trip to Preston next week, it looks unlikely that Hughton will be reinforcing his squad with anymore loan players before Thursday’s deadline. The Newcastle boss refused to rule out another signing if the player was of sufficient quality – but suggested any further recruitment was unlikely. “We still have a little bit of time but I’m not desperate to bring anyone in,” he said. “As we said with what we saw last night, if an opportunity that we like comes up then we will assess it but I’m not desperate to bring anyone in.” Meanwhile, West Brom have emerged as potential rivals if United decide to pursue their interest in Scotland defender Gary Caldwell. The former United man, currently embroiled in a contract dispute with Celtic, has been linked with a return to St James’ Park in the January transfer window but the Baggies are also monitoring his availability. | 
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