SUNDERLAND are confident of being able to complete the swift appointment of David Moyes once Sam Allardyce is formally confirmed as England’s new manager.

Allardyce is set to be installed as Roy Hodgson’s successor later today, with a Football Association board meeting at Wembley yesterday having rubber-stamped the decision of the three-man selection panel to hand him the role.

The 61-year-old spent most of yesterday at Sunderland’s Academy of Light training ground, and is understood to have said goodbye to the staff who worked with him during his nine months in charge of the Black Cats.

The delay in confirming his appointment is largely due to Sunderland’s determination to extract the maximum possible compensation for Allardyce’s departure, with Black Cats chairman Ellis Short understood to have demanded more than £3m from the FA.

Allardyce only had one year of his £2m-a-year contract remaining on Wearside, but Short has demanded additional compensation in light of the disruption that has been caused by the FA’s lengthy recruitment process, much of which was played out in public.

Allardyce has agreed personal terms with the FA, and is set to sign a two-year deal, with an option for an additional two years if England qualify for the 2018 World Cup and perform acceptably in the finals in Russia.

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As well as fighting his club’s corner with FA officials, Short has also been paving the way for Moyes’ appointment, which should be concluded by the start of next week, enabling the Scotsman to take charge of Sunderland’s planned training camp in France.

Moyes was identified as Sunderland’s preferred replacement as soon as it became clear that Allardyce had a realistic chance of being appointed as England boss, and there has already been contact with the 53-year-old.

Moyes, who has been out of work since his dismissal from Spanish side Real Sociedad last November, has confirmed his interest in taking over at the Stadium of Light and indicated he is willing to move quickly once Allardyce’s departure is confirmed.

He is still to hold detailed talks with Short and Sunderland’s new chief executive, Martin Bain, and issues relating to wages, transfer budgets and potential backroom appointments still have to be ironed out.

However, senior Wearside sources claim there is strong confidence that discussions will not prove problematic, and that Moyes will be satisfied with the package that is placed on the table.

The former centre-half established his reputation at Preston and Everton, enjoying a successful 11-year spell at the latter that saw him secure three top-five finishes in the Premier League, compete in both the Champions League and Europa League, and lead the Goodison Park club to the FA Cup final.

He was less successful at Old Trafford, with his only season at Manchester United resulting in him being dismissed with the club in seventh position, and his year-long spell in Spain saw him win just 12 of his 42 matches as Real Sociedad boss.

He is still regarded as one of the most talented British coaches with top-flight experience though, and has been on Sunderland’s radar on a number of occasions in the past when they have been looking for a new boss.

One of his first priorities will be to kick-start a recruitment process that has effectively been placed on ice in the last two weeks. Moyes will be asked to consider a number of the targets that were identified under Allardyce, but will also arrive with his own ideas of how best to improve a squad that came close to suffering relegation last season.

A deal for former England full-back Micah Richards has been agreed in principle, with the Aston Villa defender known to have a £5m release clause in his contract, while Sunderland have also held a number of discussions with Rubin Kazan over a possible permanent deal for Yann M’Vila, who spent last season on loan at the Stadium of Light.

An attacking partner for Jermain Defoe will be a key priority, with Moyes also expected to highlight the need for strengthening in both full-back positions.