This is what bookies favourite Gus Poyet said about Sunderland return

Sunderland are hunting for a new manager after sacking Phil Parkinson on Sunday evening.

Poyet, who left Sunderland in 2015, has previously said he’d be open to a return to the Stadium of Light one day.

In recent weeks – prior to Parkinson’s dismissal - he told the ‘Speaking Sunderland’ podcast: “Could I return? Yes, of course,” said Poyet.

“Because there are things that are still possible to change. It’s a different situation, but it’s something that…when you’ve been in a club and you’ve been so close to people and then everyone watches the series ‘Sunderland Til I Die’ and the first thing they do, is they call you and ask you (about it).

"You’ve been there, and it confirmed things you already told them because that’s what ‘Sunderland Til I Die’ does, confirms to people things I told them when I left Sunderland.

“It’s like, you want to go back because it’s typical South American passion, you know, the fans. So, that relationship we made with the fans, even if it didn’t finish in the best way, I am still thinking that it’s possible to do something important there.

"It’s easier when you know how much it (the club) means to the fans, how important it is to the city, so yeah, of course (he would go back).”

The 1-1 draw with Fleetwood Town on Friday night extended the club’s winless run in all competitions to five games, and left the Black Cats seventh in the table.

Assistant Steve Parkin has also left his role, with first-team coach Andrew Taylor set to take the game against Burton Albion at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.

A statement from the club said that the next appointment would be made by the current board, and that no further comment would be made until this process is completed.

The club are understood to be on the brink of an ownership change, with Stewart Donald’s majority shareholding set to pass to a consortium led by Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

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