FC Twente coach Steve McClaren is interesting Sunderland.

The People says McClaren is way ahead of his England predecessor Sven Goran Eriksson in the pecking order at the Stadium of Light.

As a result Eriksson is now likely to take over at German club FC Schalke.

McClaren's brilliant season in Holland with FC Twente has not gone unnoticed by Sunderland's Dutch international business development director Chris Woerts.

The Black Cats' hierarchy of Woerts, major shareholder Ellis Short and chairman Niall Quinn are aware McClaren would not be popular with everyone on Wearside. That's because of his failure with England and the fact that he managed rivals Middlesbrough.

But McClaren has big supporters like his former Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson after his relative success at the Riverside Stadium, Derby and Manchester United.