THE Scottish Football Association will seek to include Sunderland boss David Moyes on a three-man managerial shortlist if Gordon Strachan leaves his post as Scotland boss in the next few weeks.

Strachan’s position is hanging in the balance after his side suffered a 3-0 defeat to England last Friday, with SFA officials set to discuss the former Middlesbrough manager’s future later this week.

There is understandable frustration at Scotland’s record of just one victory from their four matches in the current round of World Cup qualifiers, and while Strachan insisted he was not considering his future in the immediate aftermath of his side’s defeat at Wembley, there is a good chance he could opt to resign from his role.

That would leave the SFA with a four-month window in which to appoint a successor, and Moyes would figure prominently in their thoughts.

The Sunderland boss has a number of admirers within the SFA hierarchy, which is led by chief executive Stewart Regan, who was formerly the head of Yorkshire cricket, and would be all but certain to make a three-man shortlist provided he indicated a potential willingness to take on the role.

Alex McLeish, who briefly took charge of Scotland in 2007, and Michael O’Neill, who did such a good job leading Northern Ireland to this summer’s European Championships, would be Moyes’ main competitors.

The SFA’s potential interest in Moyes is something of a nightmare scenario for the Sunderland hierarchy, who could find themselves in the remarkable position of losing two different managers to international football within the space of four months.

Having watched Sam Allardyce leave the Stadium of Light in order to take charge of England during the summer, Black Cats owner Ellis Short and chief executive Martin Bain moved quickly to appoint Moyes.

Things have hardly gone smoothly for the former Everton and Manchester United boss, with Sunderland at the foot of the Premier League table ahead of Saturday’s crunch battle with relegation rivals Hull City, but both Short and Bain have remained steadfast in their support.

Short delivered a series of assurances about Moyes’ future after the Black Cats equalled the record for the worst opening ten games of a Premier League season, and his faith was at least partially repaid when the Scotsman guided Sunderland to a first league win at Bournemouth prior to the international break.

Having provided such solid support, it would be extremely galling if Moyes was to turn his back on the Stadium of Light and leave Sunderland searching for yet another new boss.

The 53-year-old will feel a sense of loyalty after Sunderland appointed him despite his failures at Manchester United and Real Sociedad, but is understood to be concerned about a potential lack of investment when the transfer window reopens in January.

It is unlikely that significant funds will be available despite Sunderland’s perilous position in the relegation zone, and Moyes, who has been eyeing a move for Leicester City striker Leonardo Ulloa, could be tempted by a move into international management even though Scotland are at an especially low ebb and look extremely unlikely to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Moyes has discussed his pride in his Scottish roots on a number of occasions this season, and clearly regards the Scotland job as something he would like to take on before he retires.

Only last month, he said: “It’s something I’d never say never to in the future. I’d never say never to managing Scotland – it’s always something which I would definitely keep open.”

The Sunderland boss is aware of the limitations of the current Scotland squad, and spoke openly about the lack of world-class talent within the Scottish game prior to last week’s game at Wembley.

However, he also spoke passionately about his memories of supporting Scotland as a fan, and could find the emotional pull of returning to transform the footballing fortunes of his homeland too strong to resist.