Phil Parkinson will make players who possess mental strength his priority, should he be handed Charlton's cheque book in the January transfer window.

The club’s caretaker manager, who has yet to win a game after eight attempts, has drawn up a wish list which he has presented to the board in the event of him winning a short-term contract.

He said: “When the window opens we will need to get some stronger characters.

“We’ve showed we can play but we’ve struggled when you need to roll up your sleeves and be resilient for 90 minutes. We didn’t do that on Sunday against Sheffield United.

“Ideally, we want to bring in players straight away. We have a squad written down with new additions of how we’d like it to look.

“We’re speaking to players’ agents and other managers all the time, although there is no guarantee that any will come. But we need to bring in new players because nothing lifts a team more than one, two, three or even four new bodies walking into a dressing room.”

Parkinson confessed to being unsure whether key midfielder Zheng Zhi would be available when he recovers from a broken metatarsal in January. China’s international captain is rumoured to be the subject of approaches from several Premier League clubs.

“ZiZi is an asset to the club and I don’t know whether he will stay or go,” said Parkinson.

Parkinson’s problems have not been helped by suspension to in-form midfielder Nicky Bailey, who will miss the six-pointer at home to Nottingham Forest on January 10 following his fifth caution at Bramall Lane.

Skipper Mark Hudson, Jay McEveley, Hameur Bouazza, Martin Cranie and Kelly Youga are one booking away from suspension.