Sunderland make O’Neill contact

According to sources, Sunderland have made initial contact with Martin O’Neill about the vacant manager’s position.

O’Neill has been installed with Mark Hughes as one of the early favourites for the job with leading bookmakers.

This afternoon though, former Aston Villa man O’Neill looked to have edged into the lead for the job with Sky Sports News revealing there had been contact between the two parties.

O’Neill is known to have been a Sunderland supporter growing up in Northern Ireland, but how much this has been blown up by the press is up for debate.

Sky Sports News also report that owner and chairman Ellis Short has not been involved in the contact so far.