Sunderland's former manager Chris Coleman rejected Jack Rodwell's plea to play for the reserve team, according to a reliable football journalist on Twitter.

Alan Nixon is reporting that Rodwell asked to play for the reserves but Coleman refused to let him.

Coleman recently admitted that he did not even know where Rodwell is, shortly before he was sacked as manager of the Black Cats.

Rodwell reportedly earns £70k per week - a wage which is surely untenable in the third tier of English football after Sunderland were relegated to League One following a disastrous season in the Championship.

Sunderland are trying to flog Rodwell and have been trying to offload him for a while.

His decline from one of England's brightest young hopes to being frozen out is quite remarkable.

The Everton academy graduate was bought by Premier League giants Manchester City in 2012 and was regarded as a future replacement for Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in central midfield for England.

But he has had an awful season in which he has only played three times - scoring once - and then his request to play for the reserve team was turned down by Coleman.

The Verdict

Rodwell's future at Sunderland is surely over.

But where next?

The 27-year-old really needs to have a fresh start elsewhere but he would need to take a huge pay cut and I am not sure there will be an English team willing to take him.

Sunderland fans - Would you like to get rid of Rodwell? Let us know below...