Man Utd legend got "slap in the face" after applying for manager job at his old club

A former Manchester United star has opened up about his struggles in management, revealing he applied to take charge of one of his former clubs but did not even hear back from them

Dwight Yorke has revealed he applied for the manager's job at former club Sunderland in 2022 but received no response.

The Manchester United legend spent the final years of his career with the Black Cats and wanted to take over as manager when Alex Neil left the club to join Championship rivals Stoke City. However, Yorke says Sunderland did not even consider him as a potential replacement, describing the snub as "a bit of a slap in the face".

Mowbray was sacked by Sunderland earlier this month and when asked if he would consider applying for the job again, Yorke told AltIndex : "I have tried applying for the Sunderland job before and I'd love to have that opportunity, but I'm not sure if they'd give me a chance.

"I applied before Tony Mowbray joined, but I didn't get an answer or acknowledgement. It's a bit of a slap in the face to not even hear back. I'm not saying I don't want to go for it as it's a great club, but it seems the same faces are linked with the job. It can make you a bit despondent, but if they were to ask me to put a CV in, it could be worth a chance.

"I might do that now that you've reminded me. Learning on the job doesn't seem to exist anymore, though, and it seems as if you have to have an abundance of experience to be considered for the job and defy the odds. I grew up in the Caribbean and I made it to Manchester United.

"I managed to defy the odds as a player, but it feels like I'm being told that I can't do that as a manager. I'm not sure what happened to the underdog getting a break. It's as if you need years of experience before you're given a job." Yorke briefly worked as an assistant to Ricky Sbragia at Sunderland following Roy Keane's departure and also spent seven months in charge of Australian club Macarthur, leaving that role earlier this year.

The 52-year-old ‌also hit out at some of the appointments at EFL clubs, adding: "I look at a lot of managers in the Championship or League One and I've never heard of them before. It makes me wonder how that's possible.

"I have a good playing background, and a decent background in management, and I can't get in. Yet the other guys are getting jobs ahead of me, and I'm scratching my head wondering how that's possible. That's just life, though, and if success was easy, everybody would have it.

"I'm sure all the work will be worthwhile. No football clubs owe anyone a favour - I found that out the hard way. You would think that clubs would have a look at the work you're doing in management, monitor your progress, and take a chance with you, as that's how you'd assume it works. Playing opportunities are given that way, but it doesn't seem to work that way in management.

"It's one thing if you're given a chance and you're not up to the job, but we're seeing the same managers being given chance after chance, and it makes you wonder where the fairness is. It's tough to take, but it's a part of life and you have to learn to live with it and believe that, with enough work, your chance will come."

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