Sunderland are hunting for their third manager of the season in light of Michael Beale’s sacking on Monday.

The former Rangers manager was at the helm for just nine weeks, winning just four and losing half of his 12 matches in charge. Sunderland have slipped down the table as a result and find themselves four points outside of the play-offs, so the board have decided to react.

This decision comes after the December sacking of Tony Mowbray, who has stepped back from new his Birmingham City duties due to illness after beating Sunderland on Saturday. Several names were previously linked with the role, including former Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson, ex-Black Cats manager Guy Puyet and former OGC Nice assistant Julien Sable.

It is expected that Will Still, the Belgian-born manager of French club Reims, will be favourite to replace Beale. Roy Keane was linked to return to the Sunderland position amid Beale’s appointment in December, and speculation may soon re-emerge.

However, club chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus recently outlined how Keane was never a true candidate for the role, which indicates he may take a similar stance just a few weeks on from his comments.