Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips plotting Black Cats approach as he eyes transfer favour

Kevin Phillips won't hesitate to pick up the phone and call in a few favours from his old friends at Sunderland this summer. Phillips is approaching his first full transfer window as Hartlepool United manager and he is keen to make his mark on the squad.

The 50-year-old led Hartlepool to 12th in the National League after taking over from John Askey in late January with the club just four points off the relegation zone. As such, Phillips, whose only previous management role came with South Shields, will be looking to build on the progress made at Victoria Park by attempting to lead the club back to the Football League next season.

He'll need a host of new faces to make that happen, something the former striker readily admits, and a number of them are expected to be loans. Phillips will be leaning on his contacts in the game, then, in order to add to his squad and he plans to ask the question at Sunderland over the summer months.

"I think it’s important," Phillips told the Hartlepool Mail. "I tried to do it when I was at South Shields, I think it’s hugely important that you build relationships with your local clubs.

"It’s something that we are looking at, and with my connections to Sunderland, it’s a chance to make the most of it. I’m always cautious about bringing young players, under-23s, into this environment, I don’t think you can have too many. For me, you need players that have experience of the National League or the Football League. I’d love to build some relationships."

Phillips, who scored 130 goals in 235 games for Sunderland as a player, has been coaching since his retirement in 2014, holding backroom roles at Leicester City, Derby County and Stoke City before stepping into management.