Sunderland targeted Liam Manning just a matter of months ago but the highly-regarded coach has now been sacked by Milton Keynes Dons.
The Sun’s Alan Nixon reported in August that Sunderland were considering a move to make Manning their new manager.
Alex Neil had made a shock move to Stoke City and Sunderland needed to quickly find a replacement just weeks into the season.
Tony Mowbray ended up landing the job and has so far won six of his 15 games in charge of the Black Cats.
Sunderland considered other options and one of them was Manning.
The 37-year-old had built up a decent reputation in charge of the West Ham United Under-23’s and then Lommel SK in Belgium.
MK Dons pounced to land Manning in August 2021 and it looked like they had found an absolute gem.
Liam Manning sacked months after Sunderland interest
MK Dons were outstanding last season, losing just three times in their final 24 League One games.
Manning earned MK Dons a playoff place but a semi-final defeat to Wycombe Wanderers killed off their promotion hopes.
Losing David Kasumu, Scott Twine and Harry Darling over the summer was a huge blow and Manning just hasn’t been able to recover.
The Dons have won just four times this season with one victory in their last 11 games.
Sitting second-bottom of the League One table with 13 defeats in 20, MK Dons are in danger of slipping into League Two.
Manning has now paid the price with his job as MK Dons confirmed on Sunday that Manning has been sacked.
Manning looked destined for a Championship job in the near future, whether that meant leaving MK Dons or taking them up.
Instead, Manning is now out of work just months after Sunderland wanted him, again proving just how quickly things can change in football.
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