Emile Sinclair could still be on his way out at Crawley despite the collapse of a proposed move to Mansfield Town yesterday.

Sinclair was not even on the bench for Crawley’s 2-2 draw at Rotherham after spending the weekend in Mansfield. Stags boss Andy Cox was keen to bring in the striker who has struggled to make an impact since joining Reds from Peterborough for £100,000 in August but had to pull the plug on any deal due to financial problems.

Mansfield are in the process of defending themselves against legal action by ex-shareholders Andy Saunders and Steve Hymas who are owed almost £1 million in loans. The League Two club released a statement yesterday saying they would not be signing any more players during the transfer window as a result.

Gregory said: “It’s a shame because Emile’s family are from up north and it suited him. Emile’s back with us now but the window is not closed yet so something could still end up being done.”

Gregory is still hopeful of adding to his squad by Friday night’s deadline even if Sinclair does not depart.

He added: “We are still working on various things. There are one or two people who we’ve identified but these things take time.”