Leeds United's Championship rivals Sunderland confirm appointment of ex-Liverpool and QPR man

The Black Cats have unveiled Beale as their new boss two weeks on from their axing of Tony Mowbray. He has signed a contract that runs until 2026 and will be assisted by Mike Dodds, who has been in post as caretaker head coach.

Beale has previously managed Queens Park Rangers in the Championship and also led Scottish giants Rangers. He cut his teeth in coaching within the youth systems of Chelsea and Liverpool.

He said: “It’s a huge honour to be joining the Sunderland family and I would like to thank Kyril [Louis-Dreyfus, owner], Kristjaan [Speakman, sporting director] and the rest of the executive team for the faith and responsibility they have placed in me.

"The existing coaching team deserve huge credit for the way they navigated the interim period and like all of the staff at the club, they will continue to be vitally important moving forward alongside the incredible fans that make SAFC such an historic and unique club.

"It’s clear there is some excellent work being done at senior and academy level and I’m excited to support those efforts and implement my own ideas, as we build on the strong identity already established within the club.”

Speakman said: “We have monitored Michael’s career for some time and we are delighted to have reached an agreement for him to become our new head coach. He has an excellent and well-founded reputation for developing players and he is an outstanding progressive coach, who is aligned with our playing identity and naturally fits within our structure alongside Mike Dodds and the wider team.

"We continue to trust in our established process of identifying the right candidates to take us forward at these junctures and although Michael has had a setback, we feel we are getting him at the right time in his coaching journey and our journey as a club.”