DICK ADVOCAAT insists that he has still decided on his future ahead of key meetings with both his wife and Sunderland owner Ellis Short next week.

Advocaat’s short-term deal as Sunderland head coach is due to expire at the end of Sunday’s final game of the season with Chelsea, but with the Dutchman having guided the Black Cats to safety in his two months in charge of the club, Short is set to offer a contract to remain in charge for at least next season.

With his wife keen for him to return to Holland to begin his retirement, 67-year-old Advocaat had previously insisted that the current campaign would be his last in frontline management.

However, with his successful spell on Wearside having whetted his appetite for further involvement in the Premier League, Advocaat is expected to decide whether to remain in his current position within the next seven day.

He said: “I honestly haven’t decided anything yet, it is still next week. I have already said many times that I have to discuss it, and I haven’t done that yet. I will start doing that next week, but I want things done as quickly as possible.

“I had enough opportunities to go to clubs in the past three years, but we had preferred to be in charge of a country rather than a club. But then suddenly the Sunderland job came up for just three months and that was the right opening. Now, we have to wait and see.”

Regardless of what he decides to do next season, Advocaat will look back on the last two months with a great deal of pride.

Sunderland looked destined for the drop when he replaced Gus Poyet in the wake of a humiliating 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, but Wednesday’s goalless draw at Arsenal ensured the club were able to confirm their top-flight survival with a game to spare.

Advocaat said: “Together with everyone involved at the club, we have given everything we can to make sure we stayed up. When the emotion started to come out (at the Emirates), I couldn’t stop it anymore.

“I don’t care about that because it was a big, big relief. If you get a draw at Arsenal, knowing what would happen on Sunday otherwise, it is a great feeling.

“You cannot do it on your own, it is the coaching staff, all the people at the office who work so hard, the press people – everyone involved at this club has been so positive. The players feel that, and from the moment we arrived, we started telling them that was what was so important in football.

“It was not only during the games, but also in training, we couldn’t find any complaints with them. They were always training hard, and they gave everything in training and in the games. You could see the result of that from how many points we got out of the eight games.”

Sunderland round off their campaign with a trip to Chelsea on Sunday, with Vito Mannone set to replace the injured Costel Pantilimon.

Advocaat said: “Our goalkeeper (Pantilimon) has a slight knee injury so he will not be playing on Sunday. Danny Graham is also a doubt because he has hurt his ankle and he did not train (on Friday).

“We will wait and see whether he can join the squad or not. The rest is the same, with Liam Bridcutt and Wes Brown not involved. Seb Larsson looks okay.”