Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips delivers verdict on who should become club's next head coach

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips believes Liam Rosenior would be a good fit for the Black Cats as they search for a new head coach.

Rosenior was surprisingly sacked by Hull earlier this month, after guiding the Tigers to a seventh-place finish in the Championship. The 39-year-old previously had an interim spell in charge of Derby, where he worked as a coach alongside Wayne Rooney at Pride Park.

Speaking to the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Phillips was asked his thoughts on who Sunderland should appoint. “I played golf up in the North East during the weekend with a big Sunderland fan, and he mentioned, which I think got sacked harshly, Liam Rosenior,” said Phillips.

“They (Hull) finished three points outside the play-offs, when he took over they were a point outside the relegation zone. “He’s a fantastic coach. He worked well with Rooney at Derby, did a great job their, and he’s stepped up to management.

“He’s young. And when this guy mentioned him, I thought, ‘I quite like that one’.”

Since leaving Hull, Rosenior is said to have turned down an approach from Championship club Plymouth, who are looking to make a permanent appointment after sacking Ian Foster in April.

Rosenior has also been linked with the Birmingham job, while Norwich are also searching for a new head coach after parting company with David Wagner following their play-off defeat against Leeds.