KEVIN PHILLIPS would love to manage Sunderland at some stage in the future, but the former striker admits he is too inexperienced to take over this summer and has warned the club’s rulers they cannot afford to make another mistake when they appoint a permanent head coach.

Phillips, whose goalscoring exploits with the Black Cats secured him legendary status, returned to the Stadium of Light on Saturday in his role as Leicester City’s first-team coach, and was able to watch his side secure their Premier League survival with a goalless draw.

Sunderland, who travel to Arsenal tomorrow, still need a point from their final two games to guarantee their survival, and assuming they avoid the drop to the Championship, owner Ellis Short’s first task of the summer will be to decide who he wants as his full-time head coach.

Dutch media sources claim Dick Advocaat will walk away from Wearside no matter what happens in the next five days, and while Real Madrid assistant Paul Clement has long been touted as a leading candidate for the role, there is a high degree of uncertainty about where Short and his sporting director, Lee Congerton, will turn.

Phillips would be a popular choice amongst many supporters, and his work at the King Power Stadium is credited as a significant factor in Leicester’s remarkable turnaround in the last two months. However, as he continues to work towards achieving his UEFA Pro Licence, the 41-year-old admits it is too early for him to contemplate taking on such a high-profile position.

“At some point in my career, I’d love to come back here and manage, but at the moment, the role I’m in at Leicester is a learning curve for me,” said the former European Golden Boot winner. “This season has been a massive eye-opener for me.

“At the end of the day, if that (the Sunderland job) was put upon me then I’d have no problem doing it, but at the moment I’m enjoying working at Leicester and enjoying learning.

“I certainly wouldn’t go chasing a manager’s job, although it’s something I’d consider if I was offered it. I’m still doing my badges, still learning the role, still learning about not being a player and learning how players act day in, day out, and how you have to look after them.

“It’s a different world to playing and something I’ve enjoyed, and it’s something I’m going to really sink my teeth into in the next few years.”

Phillips was a key member of the Sunderland side that briefly claimed a top-two spot under Peter Reid, and since the demise of the Reid era, the club have been through a succession of managers in pursuit of a figure capable of restoring former glories.

Roy Keane and Steve Bruce presided over brief moments of optimism, but neither could sustain their initial progress and the club’s last two permanent appointments – Paolo Di Canio and Gus Poyet – proved disastrous.

Another misjudged move could have even more calamitous consequences as the Premier League enters the era of a lucrative new television deal, and provided things go to plan in the next two matches, Short will enter the close season facing the biggest decision of his reign.

“First and foremost, once Sunderland are safe – and I believe they will be okay – they need to sort out the managerial situation,” said Phillips. “This summer is a big one for Sunderland – they need to sort out the managerial situation whether it’s a long-term thing or not, and I believe it needs to be that sort of project.

“Whether that’s someone who’s young and enthusiastic with potential, or whether it’s someone who is experienced and knows the league, I think it’s got to be a long-term, slow-building process because we all know this place has huge potential.

“But if you keep having near misses, eventually things will go wrong. I’ve been saying all along that at some point, it’ll come up and bite you on the backside and relegation will happen.

“I fear for Sunderland if that was to happen because financially it would be a massive kick in the back teeth. I think they’ll be okay this year, but then next season is huge for them.”

Tellingly, if Advocaat does not remain in his current position beyond the end of the season, Short will find himself looking for his fourth new boss – either temporary or permanent – in the space of 20 months.

Such instability is hardly conducive to success, and having been part of a managerial team at Leicester that was dramatically reinstated earlier this season after the hierarchy reneged on their previous decision to dismiss Nigel Pearson, Phillips knows all about the importance of giving people the time they need to succeed.

“It shows the benefit of thinking long term,” he said. “We were sacked at one point earlier this season and then reinstated! It just shows you what can happen. You have to give huge credit to the owners for sticking by the manager, and it shows that if chairmen and owners don’t panic, it can pay off for you.

“For Sunderland to be a success, they need to put someone in place for four or five years and then stick with them. That’s what happened with our team and Peter Reid, and that’s the way forward. They’ve shown they’ve got good players, but they need some consistency, and that starts from the manager down.”