Sam Allardyce: 'Writing on wall for Emmanuel Eboue'

Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has admitted that the "writing is on the wall" for Emmanuel Eboue after the defender failed to get in contact with the club.

The 32-year-old was given his two-week notice by the Black Cats at the end of March after FIFA handed him a one-year playing ban for failing to settle a debt with a former agent.

Eboue could have avoided the sanctions from the governing body and the club if he settled the debt, thought to be around £800,000, in the notice period.

"We haven't heard anything so I think the writing's on the wall," Allardyce told reporters. "We've not seen hide or hair of what position he's in, or if he's about to settle it or not. I think we'll have to draw a line under it this week.

"I'm disappointed on two or three counts. One, I'm disappointed that he never told us about it in the first place when he first got here. We may have been able to resolve the situation before it got to the desperate stage.

"And then of course, the hard work that we put in to get to this level and me thinking he could play a part in our run-in as an experienced player."

Eboue joined Sunderland, who are battling against relegation from the Premier League, on March 9 after nine months as a free agent.