Sunderland chairman Stewart Donald has responded to rumours that the Black Cats are interested in former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley.

The 33-year-old is currently with Premier League side Burnley where he's made nine Premier League starts.

That in itself would seem to make a swoop by Sunderland unlikely, but Donald has further dampened the discussion with his own tweet.

The former Eastleigh chairman is one of the newer breed of club owners happy to talk about situations on Twitter and when asked by a fan if the talk was correct, he issued an emphatic denial.

He said they've not spoken to Bardsley at all and have made no offer, comprehensive putting the talk to bed. Bardsley is a former Black Cat, having spent six seasons with the club and making 200 appearances in all competitions.

He departed in the summer of 2014, allowing his contract to run down before joining up with Stoke City, where he made 63 appearances before his Burnley switch.

The Verdict

Bardlsey back to Sunderland makes absolutely no sense at all, but it is great to have a club chairman willing to come out and say as much.

There's pros and cons to having someone like Donald running the club, or indeed Darragh MacAnthony at Peterborough. they're straight talkng and accessible, but occasionally should perhaps hold their thoughts for a second before bashing out a response.

Still, at least we know Phil Bardsley isn't going back to the North East.