keano back? Rival emerges to Roy Keane in race to be named as Sunderland manager

Roy Keane has been strongly linked with a return to management with Sunderland, but a new name has emerged as a leading candidate to take the job at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland are on the hunt for a new head coach after sacking Lee Johnson following last weekend's 6-0 defeat at Bolton, with Keane reported to be their leading contender for the job.

Some reports even suggested the former Ireland and Manchester United captain had already been offered the Sunderland job, 13 years after he left the club following his first spell as manager.

Yet it has now emerged that Grant McCann (below) is also a leading contender for the role, with his success in guiding Hull City out of League One last season confirming he has what it takes to gain promotion in the third tier of English football.

Sunderland's owners are desperate to select a manager who can take them back into the Championship next season, with the club's main goal of getting into the Premier League also part of their deliberations over the recruitment of a new manager.

McCann has held talks with Sunderland's owners in recent days, with Keane also expected to hold talks over the vacancy ahead of an appointment next week.

Meanwhile, former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has questioned whether Keane can succeed in the modern game, as he suggested his man management skills were "zero out of 100".

"The problem with Roy Keane when he came to Aston Villa was he couldn't understand we weren't as good with the players he played with," Agbonlahor told talkSPORT.

"He couldn't accept that we weren't as good as Giggs, Scholes, Beckham and them players and just his way of coaching wasn't the right method for players nowadays and players when he was at Aston Villa.

"And just the way he spoke to players. There were times where there were experienced players like Joe Cole and he just didn't speak to them right.

"He spoke to them in a way that was disrespectful. His man-management I'd say was a zero out of 100 it was that bad."