Sunderland favourite Kevin Phillips heads the betting to take over from David Moyes.
David Moyes resigned as Sunderland manager on Monday, just a day after the Black Cats' 5-1 defeat to champions Chelsea, meaning the club are now on the search for their fifth manager in under four years.
Sunderland fans will be hoping for a swift return to the top flight following relegation this season and the bookies have former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips as the early favourite to take on the role.
Phillips is the 5/2 favourite with SkyBet to manage the club, who he notched 130 goals for, and, while he is a popular figure, the 43-year-old is lacking in managerial experience. Promotion to the Premier League is something Phillips is used to however, after spells with Leicester City and Crystal Palace towards the end of his playing career. He scored the winning goal for the Eagles when they beat Watford in the play-off final in 2013 and was part of the Leicester side who were crowned champions of the Championship the following season. Phillips went straight into coaching after his playing career where he stayed on at Leicester before moving to his current role as assistant coach at Derby.
The Foxes were managed by Nigel Pearson in their Championship winning season and he is also in the running for the job according to the odds. Since his sacking from Leicester in June 2015, Pearson had a brief spell in charge of Derby before leaving after a fall out with owner Mel Morris. The 53-year-old, who handed Phillips a coaching role following his retirement at Leicester, is considered a 7/2 shot by the bookies, 8/1 best price.
Former Boro boss Aitor Karanka is also in the frame for the job at 7/2 with William Hill while Roy Keane has also shortened for the role on Monday evening, being cut to 5/1 from 28/1 earlier in the day. Keane's former playing partner at Old Trafford, Ryan Giggs is also 5/1 as he looks to land his first management role since leaving Manchester United as interim player-manager.
