David Moyes has issued a stark warning to Sunderland owner Ellis Short about the enormous changes needed to give the club a realistic chance of gaining promotion from the Championship as he insisted he will have to sign an entirely new team.

Moyes has already held preliminary discussions with the club’s owner and chief executive Martin Bain following relegation this week and has made it clear that, as things stand, the squad is ill-equipped for life in the second tier.

The former Manchester United and Everton manager has been assured by Short that he wants him to continue as manager, despite presiding over a dismal campaign which has brought the club's 10-year stay in the Premier League to an insipid conclusion.

Moyes, though, has refused to commit, conscious of the fact many supporters want him to leave, but also wary of staying on if he is not going to be given the tools needed to rebuild his reputation on Wearside.

Sunderland tumble into the Championship in turmoil on and off the pitch, with the latest set of accounts revealing they have debts of more than £110m, which may help explain why Short has failed to find a buyer over the last 12 months.