Sunderland's new U21 boss Graeme Murty says he can't wait to get started after being confirmed in the role. Chroniclelive revealed yesterday that former Rangers boss Murty, who has been linked with the post on Wearside in recent weeks, had seemingly announced his appointment via his LinkedIn profile.
And today the club has confirmed that the Saltburn-born 47-year-old is the Black Cats' new head of professional development phase, which includes taking charge of the U21 side. He will take over the U21 post from John Hewitson, who has been in interim charge since Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor were promoted to first-team coaching duties over the summer.
"I've been out the game for a little while, but I can't wait to get started and get back on the training pitch working with the team," said Murty. "Everyone at the club has been very welcoming and I'm looking forward to building on the foundations that have already been put in place to help to ensure our Under 21s continue to progress."
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Sunderland's head of coaching Stuart English added: "Graeme stood out to us as the natural candidate for this role. His experience in a playing and coaching capacity is something that can greatly benefit those in the Under 21s and beyond, and in addition to his coaching duties, he will also work closely with our players on an individual basis to create personalised programmes to further enhance their development.
"We believe he will be a great addition to our coaching team at the Academy of Light and we are delighted to welcome him to SAFC."
Murty spent six months in charge of Rangers, having previously spent two periods as caretaker manager when he stepped up from his role in charge of the Scottish giants' development squad. He has also worked within the academy setups at Southampton and Norwich City.
The former Scotland international defender began his playing career with York City in the early 1990s, before moving to Reading in 1998 and then on to Southampton in 2009. He retired as a player in 2012.
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