Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is still available as Parkinson’s Sunderland toil

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Hasselbaink applied for the Black Cats job before Phil Parkinson took over at the League One outfit.

It’s not as if Sunderland were short of options when they decided to put Jack Ross out of his misery at the start of October.

According to TEAMtalk, club legend Kevin Phillips applied for the vacant managerial role at the Stadium of Light, as did Gary Rowett, while Paul Cook of Wigan and Mark Robins of Coventry City were also under consideration.

Gareth Ainsworth, the head-banging tactician who has turned unfancied, cash strapped Wycombe into genuine title-challengers, was linked too. And Sunderland could have hired Daniel Stendel, who lead Barnsley to promotion earlier this year, before deciding against putting their trust in the affable German while the ink was still drying on his P45 (Northern Echo).

In the end, the Black Cats plumped for Phil Parkinson. With the benefit of hindsight, however, Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven might have wished they’d gone down a different route.

Just 11 games into his Sunderland career, Parkinson found himself being serenaded by a chorus of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ as the Wearside giants slipped to yet another defeat, losing 2-1 at home to Burton Albion on Tuesday night.

Sunderland have won just two games under the former Bolton boss, the football has been more uninspiring than ever and, a week after they lost to Leicester’s reserves in the EFL Trophy, the Black Cats were dumped out of the FA Cup at the first round stage for the first time in 95 years.

And if Sunderland are tempted to make another change and cut their losses before the season spirals totally out of control, they are running out of options. Robins publicly rejected Sunderland before extending his Coventry contract, Rowett has joined Millwall while Stendel is expected to be unveiled by Hearts.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is still waiting in the wings however after applying for the job in October and, if they decide to part company with Parky and put this whole sorry affair behind them, the former QPR boss would surely jump at the chance to take the reigns.

The Dutchman has been out of the game for over a year but he led Burton into the Championship for the first time in their history in 2015 and posesses the inner-fire to give these talented Sunderland players the kick up the backside they need.