Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has told Sunderland to 'forget' Roy Keane and go all out for Grant McCann as their new head coach.
The former Hull City boss was relieved of his duties at the League One champions after a takeover at the Tigers and is understood to be one of the candidates interviewed by the Wearsiders for the vacant managerial position.
MacAnthony told The Hard Truth podcast: "I'm gutted for him he did a great job in trying circumstance. Won a league title. He was doing a great job keeping them in the league this year. Again, not the biggest budget. He's really become a great manager. I'm happy for him and proud of him.
Sunderland's hierarchy must understand the buck stops at the top as the embarrassment continues
"I think Sunderland's best bit of business they could do would be give him the job. I think he'd get Sunderland out of League One.
"If you want an honest opinion, him or my manager , if you want promotion from League One - I'm not trying to sell my manager by the way.
"I'm just astonished that someone with multiple promotions - as a player and manager, -Grant McCann, with the philosophy of the new owner, like mine with young players, what he's [McCann] done with younger players at Hull, forget Roy Keane.
"Forget about a big name manager, I think Grant McCann and his staff would do an incredible job there."
There's understandably reservations from some fans in relation to hiring a manager that was sacked by his former club, but MacAnthony claims there's no shame in appointing McCann.
"There's no shame in being fired," he said. "He's been the victim of new owners at clubs twice. That often happens.
"I can't go to the Hull man and say that's horrible. It wasn't his man. I fired a manager when I bought Peterborough. This is what happens when you buy a football club.
"You want your own person, your own ideas and I think the Hull fans are happy with the whole new ownership. There's obviously a lot of money gone in there. They're in a good place because of Grant. There was one stage in the pandemic where they lost 15 in a row.
"Credit to the former owners for keeping them and credit to him for rebuilding them in the summer and getting them out of League One by winning it and beating us to the title by two points.
"He won't be out of work long and would've got a good pay off at Hull. He's really proven himself to be an astute, good young manager.
"If he doesn't get the Sunderland job there'll be seven or eight big jobs in the Championship in the summer."
The Black Cats are closing in on a new manager ahead of this weekend's game, but fans are frustrated with the time taken to appoint a new man.
When asked whether it was the right decision to alleviate Lee Johnson from his position, MacAnthony said: "After losing 6-0 to Bolton, [was it surprising?] No. Unfortunately, there's been some games where he's lost three or four games and they've not lost, they've been hammered. Battered. Then they've gone on runs that got them third in the league.
"It looks like Wigan and Rotherham could potentially run away with that league. I understand the new owner is impatient and he doesn't want to be handing around League One.
"I'd imagine, maybe Johnson wasn't fully on board with the policy. Maybe they had recruitment disagreements and I don't know if that truth would ever come out.
"That's for Lee to tell that truth but it's always harsh when you fire a manager when you're third in the league. Again, I fired a manager when we were fifth or seventh in League One in Gary Johnson because we just didn't agree. It wasn't about football.
"Steve Evans it was a philosophy argument. Sometimes there's a breakdown so maybe the 6-0 offered the opportunity to do what he wanted anyway. Now the big key, by the way I like some of the transfer business they've done. They signed a player that I wanted to sign but he was never going to come to us. A club like Sunderland come in and they're always going to go there.
"The next one is important. I've seen Roy Keane linked with the job but I can't get my head around that one. He's not somebody I can imagine is going to listen to a 24-year-old and the technical directors will have fun dealing with that one.
"That's not a pop at Roy Keane, I just think sometimes things don't go together. Whereas a Grant McCann is a perfect fit. Young manager, young owner. I bought Peterborough when I was 29 and hired a 32-year-old former player or however old Fergie was when I hired him. We were just on the same wavelength. It was easier but it'll be interesting to see. God bless the Sunderland fans, they've been in that league long enough and I'm sure they'd probably sell their left fingers to get out of that league.
"With the size and everything, 30 plus thousand and to be beaten off Doncaster. That was the biggest shock of the weekend for me, not Boreham Wood at Bournemouth. You feel for the fanbase. They're not out of it and there's a long way to go."
