Gael Clichy admits Sam Allardyce's teams are never nice to play against.

As the Sunderland manager closes in on the England national team job, Manchester City's Clichy spoke of his experiences against 'Big Sam', indicating that the Three Lions will be tough to take on in the future.

"It's not for me to say if it's a good move," said Frenchman Clichy.

"What I can say is that when he was at Bolton, West Ham and Sunderland, it was not always a pleasant game to play.

"Certain people will say he's not the man for the job. Certain people will say he's the man for the job, but that's football.

"We know what he's done in football. His teams are teams that get the job done and get the points and sometimes that's what you need.

"I was a fan of England for the Euros. I was sad to see what happened to them. If he can bring success to the team, I'll be more than happy. Good luck to him."