Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs for Sunderland

On the face of it, it sounds unlikely but former Sunderland defender Michael Gray has championed the Manchester United legend’s cause.

Giggs had been strongly linked with replacing Francesco Guidolin at Sunderland’s fellow strugglers Swansea City.

The Italian had, bizarrely, predicted his sacking if his side did not beat Liverpool at the weekend.

He was not wrong with the Welsh club giving him his marching orders after the Reds won 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium.

But instead of going for Giggs, they went left-field and appointed former USA boss Bob Bradley.

Gray, speaking on talkSPORT, said he was “not trying” to get David Moyes out at Sunderland but said Giggs could do a “Roy Keane”.

The former Man United skipper as hired by Niall Quinn in 2006, his fellow Irishman leading the Black Cats to the Championship title and back into the Premier League.

Speaking to talkSPORT host Jim White, pundit Gray said: “I go back to the years when Roy Keane came in and he was the man who took Sunderland to the Premier League.

“He may have had a little bit of a falling out with the players and fans towards the end, but I don’t think you can forget what Roy brought to Sunderland.

“He was the one who got the club back into the Premier League and that was his first job – I think Ryan Giggs would have the same effect.

“I’m not dissing David Moyes here, I’m not trying to get him out of the job.

“All I’m saying is that if there was an opportunity to bring Ryan in, I would take him.”

Giggs has been out of work since leaving his coaching role at United in the summer after Jose Mourinho was appointed above him boss.

The 42-year-old worked for three seasons as a coach at Old Trafford and sees management as a natural next step for him.

Sunderland lie bottom of the Premier League with two points from their opening seven games, though it has to be said that Moyes has only been in the job less than three months.