Sunderland boss Roy Keane has revealed he'd welcome the appointment of a director of football.

"I wouldn't rule it out because the demands on the manager are huge and you'd have to multiply it by a hell of a lot for the people at the top," the 36-year-old told The Journal. 'The demands on Alex Ferguson must be unbelievable, whether it be going to dinners, going to watch youth matches, watch players. I bet you it's the same with Chelsea.

"I wouldn't rule out something like that coming to Sunderland eventually but it would have to be my choice. It's a balancing act but the manager of the club has to be the leader of it."

For now Keane is concentrating on managing the Black Cats' football operation and the important factors, he believes, are communication and trust.

"I have meetings every two or three weeks with Niall (Quinn, the chairman) and (chief executive) Peter Walker and go to the odd board meeting," he explained. 'It's very straightforward: I stick to the football side. I make the football decisions. You've got to keep it simple. Different clubs have different ways. At some the first team and academy are separate and the managers have no influence. When you've got a club like Chelsea or Man United it's massive and very difficult for managers.

"I can understand this idea of general managers and directors of football. But that's got to be down to the manager, not the board. If you'd said to me six months ago, 'What do you think of this idea of a director of football?' I'd have said you were mad. But the longer I've been a manager the more I'm thinking you've got to have good people around you who are prepared to share the load.

"I bet you some managers will say they have nothing to do with the academy but I like the idea of me having an idea what's going on."