Sunderland have confirmed former Preston North End manager Simon Grayson as the new boss at the Stadium of Light.

Grayson, 47, has signed a three-year contract after the relegated Black Cats were given permission to speak to him by Preston on Thursday and will meet his players for the first time on Friday before flying to Austria with them for a pre-season training camp.

Speaking to the club website, Grayson said: ‘I am delighted to come to Sunderland, a club with such wonderful history and tradition, and I’m excited by the opportunity to manage this club and I want to bring the good times back.

‘Sunderland are so fortunate to have such tremendous support and I want to give these fans a team they can be proud of.

‘I want a group of players full of desire, team spirit and a never-say-die attitude – that’s the very least that we should expect from a Sunderland player.

‘The Championship is a demanding league, but with all the attributes I have highlighted then our aim has to be to get the club back to where it belongs as quickly as possible and I can’t wait to get started.’

Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain said: ‘Wherever he has managed, he has improved those clubs, which is a clear indication of his ability to build a team on solid foundations and create the right environment for success, and these are certainly attributes that we as a football club want to embrace as we embark on our own re-building process with him at the helm.

‘We warmly welcome Simon to Sunderland. From the outset he demonstrated a tremendous enthusiasm for the job and his desire and ambition to make this football club better shone through.’