The 14 free agents from League One still without a club - including released Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic, Portsmouth, Burton and Bristol Rovers players

A handful of managers across the Football League have fielded questions about signing free agents in recent days, with Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom and Portsmouth chief Danny Cowley addressing the issue .

Asked whether the Blades had looked at the market to address their injury problems, Heckingbottom said: “Loads of players don't qualify, but loads do - and then where would they be at [fitness wise] when they come in? The other thing is the cost. We don’t want to be wasting time and energy looking at something that then we get a no for, because we can't afford. The time and energy from me and everyone else is better spent on the boys here.”

Cowley provided a similar answer after recent injury issues for Sheffield Wednesday’s and Barnsley’s third-tier rivals: “It’s not something we’ve considered.”

Clubs can still sign free agents if they have space available in their squad. The upside to looking at unattached players is that they can be signed outside the summer and winter transfer windows, although many of them are usually not up to speed having lost match fitness. We look at the players released by League One clubs still waiting to make their next move.

League One free agents

Goalkeeper – Stephen Henderson (Charlton Athletic).

Defenders – Pape Souare (Charlton Athletic), Paul Downing (Porstmouth), Stephen Sama (Accrington Stanley), Junior Brown (Bristol Rovers), Ryan McLaughlin, Rhys Bennett (Morecambe).

Midfielders – Tom Carroll (Ipswich Town), Wes Hoolahan (Cambridge United), Jamie Hanson (Oxford United).

Forwards – Oumar Niasse, Danny Rowe (Burton Albion), Leon Clarke (Bristol Rovers), Lewis Mansell (Accrington Stanley).