Next Sunderland manager: Ex-Leeds United boss tipped for swift return to dugout at Whites' Championship rivals

Former Leeds United manager Paul Heckingbottom is the current frontrunner to take over at the Whites' Championship rivals Sunderland, with his sacking at Sheffield United confirmed by the club’s owner Prince Abdullah on Tuesday.

Heckingbottom led the Blades back into the Premier League as they clinched the second automatic promotion spot last term but back-to-back losses against Bournemouth and Burnley have forced the hand of the club's hierarchy, with Chris Wilder returning to Bramall Lane ahead of Wednesday's Premier League clash with Liverpool.

However, Heckingbottom may not be out of management for long as he is the leading name to take over at the Stadium of Light following the sacking of Tony Mowbray on Monday night. Leeds head to the Black Cats next week for a midweek clash on December 12 and could come up against one of their former managers if Heckingbottom is appointed in the north east.

Leeds fans are familiar with Heckingbottom after he had a short spell in charge at Elland Road between February 2018 and June 2018. He won just four of 16 games in charge, and was sacked at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. The Barnsley-born manager was replaced by Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road.

Despite a tough start to the Premier League season, Heckingbottom has an impressive record at the Blades. He led the club to the play-offs in the 2021-22 season, after joining in November 2021 with the Blades languishing in the bottom half of the Championship. He won 49 of his 98 games in charge at Sheffield United, losing 31 and drawing 18. Steven Schumacher, Julien Sablé and John Eustace are some of the other names linked as the Black Cats begin their search for a new manager.

Prince Abdullah said of Heckingbottom's departure from Bramall Lane: "I really have a lot of respect for Paul and everything he did for the club, he’s a very classy guy. I’ve been at the club for five years and we changed one manager and that was Slav [Slavisa Jokanovic], so we believe in sticking with the manager and supporting him. But I felt like after the last few games it was a necessary decision and the replacement has done great things for the clubs and knows the club, so I feel good about the decision in one way but I really have a tremendous respect for Paul."