Former Sunderland midfielder Stefan Schwarz has expressed his interest in the vacant manager's job as the Black Cats look for a replacement for David Moyes.
The 48-year-old Swede, who made 76 appearances for Peter Reid's side as they finished in seventh place in the Premier League in both 1999-00 and 2000-01, holds the FIFA Pro Licence and has worked as assistant manager at Helsingborg and with the Sweden Under-21s squad.
Schwarz told the Evening Chronicle: 'I spent four very good years at Sunderland and it is a club that I care very much for.
'I have played for some very big clubs in Europe and won a lot of trophies, but my time at Sunderland is right up there with any of those.