Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has made his return to the dugout after leaving Hartlepool in the summer.
Plenty of Sunderland players have left their mark on the club over the years, but few have done it as well as Philips.
The striker is one of the biggest legends of the modern era after he netted 30 goals in a single Premier League campaign in the 1999/00 season.
Phillips stated that Alan Shearer had pushed him to hit this record as he became the first English player to win the European Golden Boot.
However, since retiring in 2014, the former England international is determined to find success off the pitch as he picks up his third managerial gig.
Read more: Kevin Phillips names one big regret from his 30-goal campaign.
Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has become the AFC Fylde manager
Phillips is no stranger to management. The Sunderland legend went into coaching as soon as he retired, joining the backroom staff at Leicester City in 2014.
Following this, he had brief spells at Derby County and Stoke City before he joined South Sheilds in 2022 as their new manager.
After winning the league in his second season at the club, he left in 2023 and joined National League side Hartlepool in January 2024.
However, his stint at The Pools was less successful. Phillips only won seven of his 16 games in charge and was let go when his contract expired at the end of the season.
Despite this, Phillips has now made his return to the dugout after he took over fellow National League side AFC Fylde.
The club currently sit in the relegation zone with 12 points from their first 13 matches and are one point from safety.
Hopefully, Kevin Phillips will find success at AFC Fylde
While Phillips’ rise through management certainly took a hit at Hartlepool, he has a great chance to restore his reputation at Fylde.
Survival will no doubt be the immediate objective at his new club and he has every chance of succeeding.
With the club also about to enter into the FA Cup, a good run would help generate money and could lead to a potential tie against Sunderland.
Hopefully, over the coming weeks, Phillips steadies the ship and gets off to a good start.