Next Sunderland manager: Further twist in lengthy search after Liam Rosenior development

Liam Rosenior is increasingly unlikely to be named the next Sunderland head coach, The Echo understands.

Rosenior emerged as a strong frontrunner for the role over the last week and held initial talks with the Black Cats hierarchy over the vacancy, but those discussions have at this stage not progressed. The former Hull City boss is also an early contender for the role at Burnley following Vincent Kompany's departure for Bayern Munich, which could be a factor in the recent developments.

Rosenior's candidacy has not been ruled out entirely by sources, but it's thought that Sunderland are for now pursuing other targets on their shortlist as they bid to bring an end to the protracted search for Michael Beale's permanent successor.

Sunderland were forced to rethink their search after Will Still's late decision to pursue the vacancy at RC Lens, at which point Rosenior emerged as a frontrunner. Other candidates remained in the race, including Pascal Jansen. The former AZ boss was ruled out of the search over the weekend, further strengthening Rosenior's position as the favourite with the bookmakers.

Sunderland have been holding further talks in the early stages of this week with the remaining candidates, and there is recognition that Rosenior is unlikely to take the role at this stage.

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes is known to have admirers in the hierarchy, but that move would require significant compensation. There were other contenders still in the race at the start of this week but there is now huge pressure on the Black Cats hierarchy to land a high-calibre candidate after a hunt that has now run well over 100 days. Chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus told supporters that a decision was 'hopefully imminent' on Friday of last week but the ongoing delay has crystallised the fears of many supporters increasingly worried that the club's structure may be making it difficult to land candidates.