Reid was sacked on Monday after the Stadium of Light club followed their narrow escape from relegation last season with a poor start to the new campaign.

Former Football Association technical director Wilkinson was the surprise choice to take over – assisted by ex-Stoke manager Steve Cotterill – and Reid is keen for the pair to reward the Sunderland fans’ faith with a trophy.

He told the Sunderland Echo: “It’s important that supporters know how I really feel and the first thing I want to say is that I’m not bitter.

“My only regret – and it’s a professional regret rather than a personal one - is that I couldn’t win a trophy for the fans who deserved it more than anything. I’d have loved that.

“I know things don’t look too clever at the moment with us just a place above the relegation zone, but the bigger picture is that I’ve left Howard a club in a very healthy position and I genuinely want him to succeed.

“It will be no consolation to me if Sunderland nose-dive now – that’s no good to me – I want the club to go on from here because I’m proud of the fact that I’ve taken them from where they were to where they are now.

“And from this point on, I want Sunderland to take the next step forward. That’s what the fans deserve.

“Howard comes in with a great stadium, a fantastic set of supporters, and a wonderful new academy on the horizon.

“He’s also got some very good players to work with, a lot of talent and a lot of players who Sunderland fans have yet to see the best of. I wish him well and I hope he makes the most of the situation he has inherited.”