Sunderland have reportedly turned to Scotland for their new manager with Jack Ross in the frame, as is Shrewsbury Town’s Paul Hurst.
Sunderland are looking for a new manager after Chris Coleman was given the boot at the end of last season as the Black Cats finished bottom of the Championship table.
And most of the coaches linked with a move to the Stadium of Light so far have shared a few distinct similarities. Chris Wilder, Paul Cook and Michael Appleton all have plenty of experience at League One level and have history when it comes to making a team greater than the some of their parts.
The 41-year-old St Mirren boss is certainly a bit of a left-field option given that he is far younger than a number of the other potential candidates and his managerial career is only three years old.
But Ross, who turned down the chance to take over at Barnsley earlier in the year, is one of the most highly-rated young coaches in Britain. He won the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year award for a stellar 2017/18 season, in which he guided St Mirren to the Championship title.
Just 18 months ago, when Ross took over, St Mirren were bottom of the second tier. And the Record adds that Sunderland’s chief executive Martin Bain, who formerly worked at Rangers, is a big admirer.
Interestingly, Sunderland are also looking at Paul Hurst, the Shrewsbury Town boss. Like Ross, Hurst is a young, up and coming manager who has exceeded expectations, taking the Shrews to the League One play-off final.
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