Paul Heckingbottom tipped for Championship job by pundit

Paul Heckingbottom has been out of a job since he was sacked by Sheffield United in December after the Blades were thrashed 5-0 at Burnley.

One pundit has urged struggling Championship outfit Sunderland to appoint the former Premier League manager.

Journalist Alan Nixon previously suggested that Mike Dodds, the current caretaker manager, might be given the full-time job in the summer. However, it appears increasingly probable that Sunderland will opt for an external appointment. The Black Cats are winless in seven games.

Candidates reportedly in contention include Marek Papszun, Paul Heckingbottom, Steve Cooper, and Will Still.

Heckingbottom tipped to be Sunderland manager by Carlton Palmer

Speaking to FLW, Carlton Palmer expressed his opinion on the Black Cats’ situation.

“There are quite a few managers who are out of work at the moment, Paul Heckingbottom for one, who did an unbelievable job at Sheffield United.

“Get somebody in, assess the squad, assess what you need for next season.

“Unfortunately, it has not worked out for Dodds, I think they were hoping that it would have done and that they would be able to continue with him going into the new season, but that has not worked, and it’s now time to go to plan B.”

In a recent interview with TalkSPORT, the former Sheffield United manager Heckingbottom gave a refreshingly honest summary about the Blades’ failings. Paul Heckingbottom asserted that Sheffield United had lost their identity as they geared up for their return to the Premier League last summer.

There’s no doubt the sales of Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye weakened the squad, but the Barnsley-born man certainly didn’t impress anybody with his early summer signings: Anis Slimane, Yasser Larouci and Benie Traore. And in hindsight the summer dealings look even worse.

That being said, Heckingbottom is an excellent coach with the younger players; this could help his chances of getting the Sunderland job, as they have plenty of promising players.