Former England star and Premier League legend throws name into hat to become Sunderland manager

FORMER England star Jermain Defoe has thrown his name into the hat of contenders to become Sunderland's next manager.
The Black Cats sacked Tony Mowbray on Monday night following the team's 1-1 draw to Millwall at the weekend.
Defore, 41, took to social media to tease a third spell at the Stadium of Light - having last played for Sunderland in March 2022.
The club are in desperate need of a new boss to turn their season around with the Black Cats currently ninth in the Championship, with six defeats in their last 12 matches.
They face promotion rivals West Brom on Saturday.
And club chiefs are keen to have the new man in place for that clash.
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The list of contenders includes Paul Heckingbottom - who was officially sacked by Sheffield United on Tuesday, Plymouth's Steven Schumacher and John Eustace, who remains out of work since his Birmingham sacking.
But fans would not have predicted for Defoe's name to end up in the mix.
The ex-striker an amusing photo of himself in a suit, with a red and white tie, captioned: "Old pic, but ready for the job" and tagged Sunderland's official X profile.
Sunderland are set to take on Newcastle in the third round FA Cup in what will be the first Tyne-Wear derby in nearly eight years.
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Defoe made 100 appearances across two spells for Sunderland in both the Premier League and League One.
And, since his retirement in 2022, he has had limited senior managerial experience.
During his time at Rangers, from 2020-22, following the departure of Steven Gerrard to Aston Villa, Defoe was named as part of a four-man caretaker team.
He has since returned to his old club Tottenham as a club ambassador and academy coach.
The East London-born star now aims to inspire more black coaches and managers in the game.