Dennis Wise looks set for a hectic day today as he desperately tries to strengthen his Leeds squad before the loan deadline closes.

Former skipper Paul Butler yesterday went to MK Dons on loan until early January.

Until recently a regular first-choice defender, Butler played over 100 times for Leeds before being told by Wise he was surplus to requirements.

The new Leeds boss seems to have found it easier to offload than to attract new people in.

With Sean Gregan already on loan at Oldham, Steve Stone, Seb Carole and Rui Marques negotiating exit terms and Alan Wright and Andy Johnson returned to their clubs after loans, Wise's squad is seven players down since he arrived.

Add to that the fact that Kevin Nicholls, Richard Cresswell, Gylfi Einarsson, Frazer Richardson and Gary Kelly are currently on the injury list and even the signing of Graham Stack and Matt Heath leaves Wise's squad looking desperately thin.

Wise has been making frantic efforts to add new blood. The latest name linked to a move to Elland Road is Sheffield United's experienced defender David Unsworth, who could cover central defence and also at left back, where Stephen Crainey is under pressure from the Leeds fans.

But Wise needs cover in four or five positions and unless he can pull off some last-minute deals, he faces an eight-match programme before the transfer window re-opens in January with barely enough players with first-team experience to fill the substitute's bench.

Meanwhile, Wise and Gus Poyet are putting the squad through another intensive week's work leading up to the game against Plymouth on Saturday.

The sessions in the early part of the week are physically gruelling as Wise tries to get the squad to the fitness levels he wants and later in the preparations he concentrates more on team play, especially defending as a unit.

Training separately from the rest are skipper Nicholls and striker Cresswell in their efforts to reach full fitness after injury.

Nicholls, who has only made five appearances this season because of a nagging knee injury, is not expected to train with the rest of the squad until early December.