Moyes resigns as Sunderland boss after Premier League relegation

David Moyes has resigned as Sunderland manager, the club have confirmed.

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Moyes informed Black Cats owner Ellis Short of his intention to leave the post at a meeting in London on Monday, a day after Sunderland's dismal Premier League season came to a fitting end with a 5-1 thrashing at champions Chelsea.

In a statement Short said: "I pursued the services of David Moyes for a considerable period prior to his appointment last summer, which makes the announcement of his departure difficult for everyone concerned.

"Having worked tirelessly throughout the campaign to avoid relegation from the Premier League, David has chosen to leave the club without compensation, which is testament to his character.

"In the days ahead we will take some time for reflection, and then focus on recruitment and pre-season as we prepare for our Championship campaign. We wish David well in the future."

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Moyes himself said: "I would like to thank Ellis Short and the board for giving me the opportunity to manage Sunderland and the fans for always being so passionately supportive of their club.

"I wish the players and my successor well in their efforts towards promotion back to the Premier League."

Moyes signed a four-year deal in July 2016 with Short admitting at the time he had pursued the Scotsman before hiring the previous five bosses at the Stadium of Light.

Yet the 54-year-old rarely looked a good fit on Wearside with his early declaration that the club should expect to fight relegation quickly evaporating any buoyancy among the fans following a strong finish to the 2015-16 campaign under Sam Allardyce.

Allardyce's departure for a short-lived, and ill-fated, spell with the England national team saw Moyes appointed with a personal mission to erase the memory of disappointing tenures at Manchester United and Real Sociedad after he made his name at first Preston North End and then Everton.

Sunderland finished rock bottom in the top flight in Moyes' sole season in charge, 16 points from safety, and will go into the Championship seeking their eighth full-time manager in sixth years.

Former Leicester City and Derby County boss Nigel Pearson is among those to have been linked with the job in recent weeks with uncertainty surrounding Moyes' position.