Sunderland's search for a new goalkeeper coach nearing conclusion

The Black Cats have held interviews with four candidates this week, and two have been invited back for further conversations at the end of this week.

The position has been vacant since Lee Butler left to link back up with former Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson at National League side Wrexham.

David Preece, who stepped in to help during Sunderland’s week-long training camp in Edinburgh, is understood to be one of the quartet in contention.

"There’s a process going on,” Lee Johnson said.

“We interviewed four, there’s another couple who’ll come back at the end of this week to have another conversation.

“I’m pretty confident we’ll get someone in that position of real quality.”

Sunderland’s goalkeepers were taken through their warm-up drills at York City on Tuesday night by long-serving coach Mark Prudhoe, who played a major role in the emergence of Jordan Pickford.

Johnson says Prudhoe has a role in the process and will work closely with the new appointment to ensure best practice across the club.

“What we’ve got to do as a club is utilise the experience of guys like that,” he said.

“There’s no doubt that Pruds will and has been involved in the process.

“He’s a bit of a legend really, first as a human being and secondly as the coach and the players he has worked with.

“It’s part of the big picture that he gets involved so that we can share ideas across the board as a club, and have that connection all the way through.”