David Moyes will renew acquaintances with Mike Phelan on Saturday insisting he only did what his Manchester United successors Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have done since.
One of Moyes' first decisions on replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford during the summer of 2013 was to dispense with the services of assistant manager Phelan.
However, Moyes is adamant all he did was make room for his own staff after inheriting his predecessor's for what proved to be a brief and ill-fated spell at United.
The Sunderland boss said: "It was tough because I understand how important [Phelan had been] and the good work he had done.