Sunderland hero Gary Bennett believes Roy Keane is the ideal man to lead the Black Cats out of League One - and says the Manchester United legend will have 'the best squad in the league' to work with.
A series of candidates have been linked with the head coach vacancy on Wearside and the club is understood to have a number of names under consideration.
But Keane is Sunderland's first choice, and for the Irishman it would mean a return to the club where he began his managerial career back in 2006 and achieved promotion to the Premier League during his two-and-a-half year stay.
"I would go for Roy Keane, personally, of all the names I've seen this week," Bennett told ChronicleLive.
"If anyone can get a reaction from a group of players, it will be Roy.
"It's what we need at the moment, something to give the fans a lift and the team a kick up the backside.
"When Roy came here last time, it created a massive stir throughout football, and I think it would do so again.
"Sunderland is always on the map, even in League One, but there's no doubt that having Roy Keane here would lift the club's profile again - just as it did first time round.
"And from Roy's point of view, it would be an opportunity to prove one or two people wrong as far as their opinions of him as a manager.
"I think he will feel he has some unfinished business here.
"Sunderland need to get on a run but from what we've seen, they get on a run then fall off again, then get on a run again.
"They've been missing consistency and hopefully he could put that right.
"Roy was hugely popular when he was here, and we all know the reason that he left was because things weren't right behind the scenes.
"I don't think he would have left otherwise.
"He has always spoken highly of the club and the supporters since he left, and I know he'd be welcomed back if he does come.
"I don't think he'd struggle to adapt to League One.
"Obviously he has never worked at this level before but he will know that what he has to do is get us out of this division and back into the Championship and build from there, because the longer you are in the third tier the harder it gets.
"Sunderland are still in a good position and hopefully he will be thinking that he just needs to get it right over these next 17 games to win promotion."
When Keane arrived at Sunderland first time around in the summer of 2006, he made six deadline day signings almost immediately.
With the January transfer window already closed, he would not be able to make major changes to the squad but Bennett says that would be unnecessary because he will inherit the best group of players in the third tier.
"When you look at this squad, it's the best squad in the league," said Bennett, who played more than 440 games in 11 years at Sunderland between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s and now summarises the club's games on BBC Radio Newcastle.
"It's not a case of 'he's got to do this' or 'he's got to work magic' or whatever, when you look at the other teams in the division and you compare them to the quality that Sunderland have got, you think 'wow'.
"It's just a question of putting the right things in place and getting the best out this squad.
"I read somewhere the other day that the players Sunderland have got have attracted transfer fees of around £50m over their careers - if you can't work with £50m of talent at this level, there's something wrong."
Sunderland are looking for a new head coach following the sacking of Lee Johnson on Sunday in the wake of the club's 6-0 defeat at Bolton 24 hours earlier.
Bennett was unsparing in his analysis of that unacceptable defeat, but admit he did not think it would spell the end for Johnson.
"The Bolton game was terrible," he said.
"I've seen some defeats before, but not like that one on Saturday.
"From start to finish we were all over the place.
"The line-up was unexpected, the way we started the game was all wrong, we went 1-0 down, 2-0 down, and then you thought 'we've got to make a change' but it just didn't happen.
"Then when the change did come, I don't think it was the change that anyone was expecting.
"That said, I didn't think it would lead to Lee Johnson leaving, to be honest.
"It was a surprise.
"I was looking towards the Doncaster game this weekend and thinking that he would be judged by the reaction he got out of his players to last Saturday, and the reaction towards him from the supporters.
"I thought he'd have to get it right on Saturday - and they still have to get it right on Saturday."
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