Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips reveals he has applied to replace Jack Ross as Black Cats manager

Kevin Phillips has revealed to talkSPORT he has held talks with Sunderland about returning to his former club as their new manager.

The Black Cats are searching for their eighth manager in four years after sacking Jack Ross last week, with the club currently sitting sixth in League One.

Ross was already under pressure having failed to seal promotion out of League One last season, losing to Charlton in the play-off final, and was given his marching orders after losing to newly-promoted Lincoln.

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It is claimed Sunderland could be ready to announce their next permanent boss later on Tuesday, with James Fowler in charge for the time being as caretaker.

And Phillips has confirmed he has applied for the role and would ‘love’ to return to the Stadium of Light as manager.

Speaking to talkSPORT host Jim White on Tuesday afternoon, he said: “We have reached out and made contract to the club.

“Over the last two seasons when the job has come up, as we know they’ve had a lot of managers since 2013, and I’ve never really put myself out there.

“But I just felt at this time, obviously I’m not working at the moment and I thought it was the right time to put myself into the football club.

“We had a good chat but at the moment there’s no one been announced as the manager and from what I hear they could be announcing something today.

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“As a Sunderland supporter and having been up there over the last three days and knowing what it’s like in the area, they want someone in charge quickly.

“If I was to be offered the job, I’ve stated openly that I’d love to have a crack at it."

The former striker, who scored 130 goals in five seasons for Sunderland, has also explained why he would be a great fit for the struggling club, saying more teams should look to bring back legendary players to give their side a lift.

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“Any player who is a prospective coach, who wants to be a manager and who has been a legend at a club somewhere, you have to try and get them back involved," he added.

“They know the identity of the club, they relate to the supporters, they know and they’ve lived in the area before.

“So of course, if I got offered the opportunity to go in as manager or play some part as a coach or assistant, I would certainly look at it.”