Alex Neil is already getting to work bringing in some familiar faces at the Stadium of Light with The Sun (March 13th via Deepdale Digest) reporting that the new boss could be about to add Jonathan Gould to his team.

The Black Cats have been all change at the top this season, with the board having seen enough of Lee Johnson. As the side began to rack up a number of disappointing results and looked like sliding down the table, they decided to pull the plug on their manager.

In came Alex Neil, who has experience of battling even higher up the EFL in the Championship. Despite being slow at first, he has managed to string a few wins together and the side are currently eyeing a spot in the League One play-off places.

Now, the new man in charge is looking to do even more work at the top to ensure the structure is in place to get Sunderland back up the footballing pyramid. It looks like his next move could be to reunite with an old face too, with Jonathan Gould identified as someone Neil wants alongside him.

The two previously worked together at one of Neil's last roles at Preston. As goalkeeping coach, the two individuals worked together and had relative success with the Lilywhites too.

Now, they could be set for a reunion a division lower and they'll be hoping to bring success to the Stadium of Light now as well. With Neil eager to ensure he doesn't face the wrath of the Sunderland board and fans, it looks like he is already laying the groundwork to try and ensure that his side are up to scratch.

The Verdict

Alex Neil is a good manager, who is experienced a lot higher up than League One and could do a really good job at Sunderland given time.

His credentials are there to be seen - he achieved success with Norwich and then nearly dragged Preston into the Championship play-offs despite their modest budget. Granted, his latter years at North End saw him falter slightly but the football had stagnated slightly at Deepdale.

Now, with a new challenge on his hands at Sunderland, he is prepared to try and find success again. Jonathan Gould has worked with him before and is well capable of getting the best out of a club's shot-stoppers too.

It's good to see Neil identifying members of staff he wants alongside him now, as it will stand him in good stead going forward and will ensure that he has a good team around him that can help the club to thrive and succeed,