Sam Allardyce says there is no chance that he will return to Sunderland to replace Jack Ross as the club's manager.

Ross is coming under increasing pressure at the League One club, following Saturday's 2-0 defeat away at Lincoln City, which has left them sixth in the third-tier standings, four points adrift of the automatic promotion places, with a number of Sunderland fans calling for Ross to be shown the door at the Stadium of Light.

Allardyce previously took charge of Sunderland during the 2015/16 campaign, guiding them to safety in the Premier League, before leaving the club for his brief, ill-fated spell as England manager.

During his time at The Stadium of Light, Allardyce won nine and drew nine of his 31 games in charge of the Black Cats, helping them to avoid relegation from the top flight, which had seemed unlikely at the time of his arrival in the North East.

It seems however, as though Allardyce will not be returning to the club any time soon.

After being asked on TalkSport whether he could see himself replacing Ross as Sunderland manager, the 64-year-old responded: "Unfortunately not, there's not a chance.

"I loved my time there but I don't think it's right to go back."

Sunderland are next in action when they host Grimsby Town in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night, with their next league game away at Wycombe on the 19th August, with their clash with Fleetwood - which had been scheduled for Saturday - postponed due to international call-ups.

The Verdict

I think there will be plenty of Sunderland fans disappointed by this.

Allardyce worked wonders with Sunderland during his time there, and you only have to look at their fall from grace since his departure to see how well he did at the club.

You feel therefore that bringing him back to the Stadium of Light now would have given them a huge boost in their quest for promotion this season.

While it seems this particular reunion is not to be, I don't think that will do much to relieve the pressure on Ross, who will be well aware that more is expected of him from the Sunderland faithful than he is currently providing.