Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon has emerged as an early contender for the Sunderland job after the League One promotion hopefuls sacked Lee Johnson in the wake of Saturday’s embarrassing 6-0 defeat at Bolton.
Lennon has been out of work since leaving Celtic 11 months ago but is keen to get back into management and would be interested in the Black Cats’ job.
Grant McCann, fired by Hull after their takeover this month, is another available and that he won promotion with the Tigers could be an advantage.
Lennon was hugely successful in two spells at Celtic Park and having been in charge of a big club with a huge fan base won’t have gone unnoticed by the Sunderland board.
The Black Cats sacked Johnson, with the club just two points off the top of League One.
The 40-year-old spent 13 months in charge at the Stadium of Light and paid the price for Saturday’s humiliation, which was witnessed by 6,000 travelling supporters.
The Black Cats are in their fourth season in the third tier, with fans growing increasingly restless about the fortunes of a club that was in the Premier League five years ago.
Saturday’s defeat saw them drop to third despite having scored the most goals (53) of any side in the division.
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