Former Aston Villa and Man Utd star wants Sunderland role following Michael Beale departure

Former Aston Villa and Manchester United star Dwight Yorke has revealed he would be keen to take over at Championship club Sunderland following the departure of Michael Beale on Monday.

In a statement released on Monday afternoon, the Black Cats confirmed they had brought a close to Beale’s 63-day reign, which garnered just four wins in 12 games and closed with a 2-1 defeat at Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.

It read: “Sunderland AFC has appointed Mike Dodds as the Club’s interim Head Coach. Dodds will lead the first team until the end of the 2023-24 season and replace Michael Beale, who departs the Stadium of Light with immediate effect. A member of the Club’s coaching team since August 2021, Dodds took charge of the Black Cats earlier this campaign and guided them to back-to-back wins in the Sky Bet Championship.”

With Dodds now in charge for the rest of the season, the Stadium of Light hierarchy will focus their attention on a long-term successor for Beale during the summer. The likes of former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper, Chelsea legend Frank Lampard and former Fulham boss Scott Parker have all been named as possible candidates for the role.

But former Villa star Yorke, who made over 50 appearances for the Black Cats during a three-and-a-half year stay at the Stadium of Light, has indicated he would be ‘open-minded’ about taking charge of his old club or any of their Championship rivals should the possibility arise.

He told Gambling Zone: “I would just like the opportunity to manage Sunderland. I’ve played for these clubs and it would be nice to go back to Sunderland, but it doesn’t mean that I’d rule out managing another club in the EFL. I have to be open-minded to the challenge I’d have to take on.”