Former Norwich boss Alex Neil is in advanced talks to become the new Sunderland manager after Roy Keane turned down the opportunity to return to the Stadium of Light.
The League One club have switched their attentions to the Scotsman after talks between Keane and the Black Cats broke down in the last 24 hours, leading to the Irishman turning the job down.
Sunderland were extremely interested in Keane returning to the club after sacking Lee Johnson following a 6-0 loss at Bolton.
But the club are now closing in on Neil, who was sacked as Preston boss last March.
The 40-year-old has promotion experience, having guided Norwich to the Premier League in 2015. Before Norwich, he had spent two years at Scottish side Hamilton Academical.
Sunderland want a manager in place before Saturday’s match at AFC Wimbledon.
The club’s first-choice target Keane was in charge at Sunderland from 2006 to 2008, the former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland midfielder’s first managerial role.
He guided the club to promotion as Championship title-winners in his first season in the job, and then a 15th-placed Premier League finish in the following campaign before resigning in December 2008.
Keane has been out of management since being sacked by Ipswich Town in 2011 but has subsequently had coaching stints with Republic of Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, and worked as a television pundit.
Sunderland are fourth in League One, two points off the automatic promotion places, but having played four games more than second-place Wigan.
bet365 sport. To add to the In-Play excitement, bet365 stream over hundreds of events live to your PC every year. So you can bet as the action unfolds. See all upcoming sport events you can bet at bet experts. Highlights include Masters Series Tennis tournaments and matches from some of the top domestic Soccer leagues in the world. To use the Live Streaming service you need to be log in and have a funded account. Or to have place a bet in the last 24 hours. Any fixture/event on bet365 website and bet365 mobile which has the Play or Video icon is schedule to be show via Live Streaming. bet bg
Make your bet365 registration. Enjoy a unique experience with bet365 and bet365 mobile!
Our forecasts for upcoming meetings have been carefully examine and provide in good faith, but with no guaranteed earnings. We advise you to gamble responsibly and only with the money you can afford to lose.
✅ Registration at bet365 | Account verification | Deposit money | Sports Betting | How to bet | Live Betting | Watch Live Stream | Offers, Bonuses and Promotions| Casino | Poker
18+ | Gamble Responsibly | BeGambleAware.org
BET EXPERTS
Mike Dodds is in temporary charge, with Sunderland losing their last three League One games.