Sunderland have told experienced players Andy Cole, Ian Harte, Stephen Wright and Stanislav Varga they will not be offered new deals.Black Cats boss Roy Keane has started his summer cull by informing the quarter, who are all out of contract this summer, that their stays on Wearside will not be extended.

The news comes as no great surprise with Keane having indicated in the wake of last weekend's tame 2-0 Premier League defeat at Bolton that he would clear the decks within days before starting his summer spending.

Cole and Varga were back on Wearside on Thursday morning after their respective loan spells at Burnley came to an end, and like Wright and Harte, their departures have seemed inevitable for some time.

Keane said: "I have sat down with Andy, Ian, Stephen and Stan and they won't be getting new contracts."

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