Strachan the front runner to step in for Keane

GORDON STRACHAN last night emerged as a surprise front-runner to succeed Roy Keane as Sunderland began the daunting task of trying to replace the Corkman.

Chairman Niall Quinn, visibly numbed after a traumatic 72 hours for the Wearside club, is ready to turn to the Celtic manager in his efforts to fill the huge void left by Keane, who yesterday confirmed his decision to resign less than two-and-a-half years into the job.

Rather like Keane at Sunderland, sources suggest that Strachan feels he has taken the Scottish champions as far as he can on the limited funds at Parkhead. The odds on the 51-year-old Scot taking charge at the Stadium of Light were last night slashed from 20-1 to as low as 3-1 by some bookmakers on Wearside.