Sunderland’s Sam Allardyce in talks to become England manager

The Football Association have been given permission to speak to Sam Allardyce about the vacant England managerial role.

Premier League side Sunderland have allowed the FA to contact the 61-year-old over succeeding Roy Hodgson as Three Lions boss following his resignation after their embarrassing exit to Iceland in the Round of 16 at EURO 2016 on June 28.

However the Black Cats have claimed that they want the Allardyce to stay at the Stadium of Light ahead of the upcoming 2016/17 campaign, insisting that he is “very much key to our plans”.

Allardyce’s Sunderland finished two points above the relegation zone during the 2015/16 Premier League season – Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

The statement on the club’s official website read, “The Football Association contacted Sunderland AFC to seek permission to speak with our manager as part of what was supposed to be a confidential discussion process with potential candidates for the position of England manager.

“At Sam Allardyce’s request, we agreed to this.

“Sam is very much key to our plans. After what was an extremely challenging season, we are keen to see a period of stability, both on and off the field, and we want him to remain as manager of our football club.

“The ongoing speculation over Sam’s position is extremely damaging to Sunderland AFC, particularly at this crucial time of the season and we urge the FA to respect the disruption that this process is causing and bring about a swift resolution to the matter.”