Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has warned his players that they will not be able to jump ship to a better club if the Black Cats are relegated this season.

Allardyce has never been relegated from the top flight before, but he has admitted that Saturday's relegation crunch match against Norwich City is one that they cannot afford to lose.

Doing so would leave them seven points from safety, and while Allardyce does not believe that relegation would taint his own career, he admitted that it would be a huge blow for the club.

"It would hurt immensely if the club got relegated, for the club's sake first, not mine. I've had a fantastic career. I would be disappointed if I had that one relegation against my managerial career from the Premier League. It would hurt, yes, but it's more important for the club than it is for me," he told reporters.

"As a football club, it's more important for the players than it is for me in terms of my career. My career will take whatever way and whatever form it needs to take; the players, most of them will never get a club better than this, in my opinion, with its facilities and its supporters, playing in the top league in the world, and they really need to realise that.

"I can't see you lads getting a better club than this one, so let's stay in the Premier League and let's make the club even better. That's their big challenge in the next six games."

Sunderland do have a game in hand over Norwich, which comes against Everton in their penultimate match of the season.