Former Sunderland captain Michael Gray would like to see Mark Hughes succeed Steve Bruce.

Gray, who played under Hughes at Ewood Park, has made former Blackburn, Fulham and Manchester City boss Hughes his "number one candidate".

The 37-year-old, who played for his hometown club from 1992-2004, told BBC Radio Five Live: "I was with him for four years at Blackburn and I know exactly how he works.

"He gets the best out of players. The last 15 minutes of games was when it counted, he had us so fit. And that's what Sunderland are missing at the moment.

"He's certainly number one on my list. I'd like to see either him or Martin O'Neill, but my number one candidate is Mark Hughes.

"I know he would hit the ground running, getting positive results for Sunderland and moving them into the top half of the Premier League."