Gustavo Poyet will not succeed Phil Parkinson as the new Sunderland manager, with the former boss not keen on dropping down to League One.

The Black Cats are on the lookout for a new manager having sacked Parkinson, and reports suggested they could turn to the Uruguayan, who then became a firm favourite with the bookies.

However, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie revealed on Twitter that the 53-year-old does not want to work in the third tier.

"Gus Poyet will NOT be making a dramatic return to Sunderland - despite a big shift in the bookies’ odds. The Uruguayan was a candidate, but I understand he would prefer not to drop down to League One. Poyet left Sunderland when they were in the Premier League in 2015."

The Black Cats are on the verge of being taken over by Uruguayan businessman Juan Sartori and billionaire Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, and their first task will be to appoint a new manager.

But, that won't be Poyet. The former Chelsea player has been in charge of AEK Athens, Betis, Shanghai Shenhua and Bordeaux since leaving the Stadium of Light five years ago.

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The verdict

It seemed as though Poyet was nailed on to replace Parkinson just a matter of hours ago, so this is a surprise and a blow for Sunderland.

Whilst he had his faults in charge of the club previously, Poyet looks to play an exciting brand of football and he knows what the fans demand on Wearside.

It's not to be thought, with the prospective new owners now forced to look elsewhere, and it will be interesting to see who they bring in.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.