Sunderland are set to make an addition to their coaching staff in the near future, with The Northern Echo reporting that Andrew Taylor is set to join the club. 

Taylor has only recently retired from his playing career, after previously being on the books at the likes of Bolton, Wigan and Reading.

But he's seemingly keen to get some coaching experience under his belt at the earliest of opportunities, and his former manager Phil Parkinson clearly feels as though Taylor could add something to his team.

Parkinson hasn't endured the start to life at the Stadium of Light that he would have originally hoped for, with the 51-year-old winning just two games in charge of the Black Cats.

That poor run of form has seen the exit the EFL Cup, EFL Trophy, FA Cup, as well as struggling to keep the pressure on the promotion-chasing sides in the third tier this term.

It remains to be seen what role Taylor will take up at the Stadium of Light, but Sunderland are in need of an assistant coach, with John Potter recently leaving the club to link up with former Black Cats boss Jack Ross.

Sunderland are next in action when they take on Gillingham, in a game where they simply have to pick up three points to stay in touch with the play-off chasing pack in League One.

Test your Sunderland knowledge in our quiz!

The Verdict: 

I'm not surprised by this to be honest.

Taylor was a regular under Parkinson whilst the pair were at Bolton and the former full-back has a considerable amount of experience of playing in the Football League.

Parkinson will be hoping that Taylor can pass on his experience to the Sunderland players this season, but he needs to make an instant impact as the Black Cats are really struggling for any sort of confidence at this moment in time.