YORK City boss Russ Wilcox is delighted with new left-back Malvind Benning's hunger to help the club in their Sky Bet League Two dogfight.

Benning, 21, has joined the Minstermen in a one-month loan deal from Walsall despite making 15 appearances for the Saddlers in the division above this season.

He will now go straight into the squad for Saturday's home match with Burton Albion and Wilcox has been impressed with the Sandwell-born defender's attitude.

The City chief said: "I need players who want to be at York City and, when (Walsall manager) Dean Smith asked the player if he wanted to come to York, he said yes straight away. If he hadn't been sure, I would have looked elsewhere straight away because we want people who are up for the fight.

"Coming here will be great for his development as a player and a person because he's been at Walsall since he was eight and he is coming into a new dressing room. I know Dean Smith well because we've done a lot of our coaching badges together and he likes Malvind but wants him to come here and get games.

"He also tells me they've got a 17-year-old left back who's going to be worth £2million (Rico Henry), so Malvind is with us for a 28-day period initially and, then, we will look at it again. I've watched him over the last couple of years and he's still only a young lad but he has a lot of League One experience and I'm pleased to get him in.

"I must also thank the chairman again because I know things are difficult financially at this club and understand that fully."

Benning will be hoping to oust City's only ever-present this season - left-back Femi Ilesnami.

The ex-Dagenham defender was replaced 56 minutes into the Minstermen's 2-0 home defeat to Stevenage on Saturday by winger Anthony Straker, who has also offered his services at full-back on a regular basis.

Wilcox, meanwhile, has explained the decision to bring in more competition for his position to Ilesanmi, while suggesting that both him and Straker could still make the starting XI alongside the attack-minded Benning, who has netted three times in 48 outings for Walsall.

The Minstermen boss added: "I've worked for managers who don't talk to players when they leave them out or bring in people in their position and I didn't like that, so I've have had a little chat with Femi because all the squad needs to be together as a group during the next few months with the position we are in.

"I've also seen Malvind play further forward and he's done that this season, so that gives us another option and who's to say he can't play with the likes of Femi and Anthony Straker in the same side? Bombing forward and getting up and down is a big strength in his game and I've seen him score for Walsall against Coventry but, first and foremost, he's a defender and he needs to be good at that."

With City now carrying the five loan players permitted in any matchday squad, Wilcox is only likely to now pursue Sheffield United forward Diego De Girolamo on the same basis, explaining: "We've got to be careful on the loan side now because I don't want people sitting in the stand but I'm still hoping we can bring Diego back."

Centre-back Dave Winfield could miss out on a substitute's place against the Brewers due to a bout of tonsillitis and goalkeeper Michael Ingham is rated 50-50 with the shoulder problem that has seen him ruled out since the end of November.

If Ingham remains sidelined, Wilcox will decide whether to go without a substitute keeper for the second successive game or promote youth-team keeper Danny Wright to the bench with Jason Mooney out on loan to Alfreton.

On that dilemma, he said: "Danny has been training with the first team and was outstanding yesterday. He's getting better and developing all the time and we had a youth-team keeper - Pat Weaver - on the bench at Scunthorpe this season.

"It gives you a bit of assurance and it also gives young players a great taste of the matchday experience and what's required to be a pro. But, if we don't go down that avenue, we do have an outfield player in mind if the worst happened and he's done it before.

"Fingers crossed, it wouldn't come to that though."

Second-placed Burton will arrive at Bootham Crescent lying just a point behind league leaders Wycombe with Wilcox preparing his team for a stern challenge, explaining: "Burton are used to being at the top end of the table and, since Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink has come in as manager, nothing's really changed.

"They have carried on winning football matches, so it's a hard game but we are looking for an improvement on last weekend."

The Burton game is the third of five in January against teams in the top eight and, while Wilcox admits that presents a demanding programme, he is still looking for a better standard from his side than displayed in back-to-back defeats against Wycombe and Stevnage.

"If you give any team in this division successive games against Wycombe, Stevenage, Burton and Southend, it would be a tough schedule," he reasoned. "We had a little bit of a high over the Christmas period and have been on a bit of a low during the last two games.

"That can be dictated by your fixture list sometimes, but it still needs to be addressed. We've got some massive games coming up in February but we will look at them then and, for now, we are fully focussed on Burton."

Wilcox has also ruled out registering youth coach Jonathan Greening as a player.

The ex-Manchster United midfielder played for Nottingham Forest in the Championship last season but the City boss said: "I'm happy with the midfield and Jonathan's not doing any physical work to be part of our squad. The only work he is doing is to train and improve our youth team."