Former Ipswich Town target Jack Ross has been confirmed as the new manager of Sunderland.

The 41-year-old Scot was interviewed twice for the vacancy at Portman Road and was believed to be one of two remaining candidates alongside Paul Hurst of Shrewsbury, but has now signed a two-year deal at the Stadium of Light.

He is reported to be on a salary of £350,000 - five times what he earned at former club St Mirren.

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Sunderland chairman Stewart Donald said: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured Jack as our new manager. Jack is excited to be a part of the future we are building here, and the fact he turned down lucrative offers from elsewhere, including clubs currently in a higher division than ourselves, is testament to his commitment and desire to succeed at this club and his belief in our vision for the future.

“He joins us following an excellent start to his managerial career, including a memorable 2017-18 campaign with St Mirren, and was deeply impressive throughout the recruitment process. We have acted swiftly and the hard work now continues in earnest as we look towards the ultimate goal of getting Sunderland AFC back to where it should be.”

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Speaking about his appointment, Ross said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to take charge of an incredible football club. If you look the history, the facilities and most important of all, the fanbase, you can see what this club can be. To be part of the team to help realise that potential is something that fills me with excitement.

“From the moment I spoke to Stewart and Charlie, their energy and enthusiasm was evident and I share in that. There’s a lot of work to be done in re-shaping the squad to ensure that we hit the ground running in League One, and I can’t wait to get started.”

St Mirren chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick said of his departing manager: “There is no other way to describe it, it really feels like there has been a loss in the family.

“That’s how deep it goes for everyone here at the club.”

Ross’s move to Sunderland leaves Hurst as the clear front-runner for the Portman Road post, with the Blues set to approach Shrewsbury following Sunday’s League One play-off final.

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Hurst has been a highly-regarded candidate since the beginning of Marcus Evans’ search for a new manager, with the Blues being given assurances by a third-party contact that the 43-year-old would be interested in the Ipswich job.

Both parties are keen to conduct business professionally and respectfully though and it was agreed a while back that no formal approach or interviews would take place until after this weekend’s game at Wembley.