The Dutchman has had a fine start with German Bundesliga side Hamburg, leading them to a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in the Uefa Cup last night.

Before the game, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss was asked directly about stories linking him with the Sunderland hot seat.

But, perhaps happy to fuel speculation, Jol stopped short of saying he was not interested in the vacancy.

He said: "I focus on Hamburg. This is a big club. I have been here for five or six months and we are doing well.

"It is a young team so there is a lot of room for development. Maybe I will go back to England because I've still got my house in London, so that would be nice."

Asked if he would not expect to come back to the Premier League this season, Jol added with a smile: "You never know in football."

You wouldn't expect Jol to come out publicly and express his interest in the Stadium of Light job or rule anything out given that jobs in England pay better than most of the rest of Europe.

Sunderland continue to search for Roy Keane's replacement and the hunt is now two weeks old.

Sam Allardyce, who quickly thrust his name forward for the Black Cats job, was installed as Blackburn's manager yesterday barely 24 hours after the sacking of Paul Ince.

The Sunderland board will not be over concerned that the former Newcastle and Bolton boss has been snapped up as he was never high on their list, a fact that was evident to Allardyce and everyone else by the fact they did not make contact with him.

Sunderland fans remain in the dark about the direction of their club.

Chairman Niall Quinn has told them nothing publicly since the day Keane walked out, with the media left to speculate on a list of men rumoured to be interested. Fans have put their trust in Quinn, who in turn is trusting caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia with preparing and selecting the team for this weekend's visit to Hull City.

As we have previously reported, the manager search could feasibly go into 2009 if Sbragia continues to guide the team to positive performances and results. But supporters' patience could be tested if results don't go well.