Sunderland director Charlie Methven has warned Derby County fans that it could take years for them to turn a corner on the pitch even after their financial situation is resolved.

The Black Cats shareholder aired his thoughts in an interview with the Daily Mail.

He said: "It is a long road before enough people have been moved on, other people recruited, everyone knows the plan and there are no lingering politics.

"When the financial situation stabilises, supporters expect things to be turned around overnight on the pitch, but the right culture has to be created behind the scenes if the club is to get on a roll of success. Once the club is stable and gets that right, that roll can last for a decade."

Sunderland suffered a double relegation following their drop out of the Premier League, County cannot afford that to happen and see them fall to League Two.

It still remains to be seen how the administrators will deal with the current contracts of players and manager Wayne Rooney as they look to find a new buyer.

Wigan Athletic fortunately came out the other side of a season-long relegation battle in League One last term after going into administration in the Championship in 2019/20, unless they are taken over soon the Rams may land themselves in a similar position.

The Verdict

Methven is talking about getting things right off the pitch before Derby can progress on it after administration.

That will not be at the forefront of Derby supporters' minds who will be worrying about whether they will have a team to support next season rather than if they hit the ground running or not.

It seems like Derby's administration is more complex than that of Wigan Athletic and therefore it could take even longer to find a new owner which in turn could see the Rams in a perilous position next season.

With January fast approaching it is crucial a new party come forward or the club's on the pitch assets could be sold on at a cut price.