Antonio Conte wouldn’t have kept Sunderland up, says Harry Redknapp. (Getty Images)

Harry Redknapp has jumped to the defence of David Moyes by claiming that Antonio Conte would have failed to keep Sunderland in the Premier League.

The Black Cats’ demotion to the Championship has already been confirmed, while Chelsea are on the brink of winning the Premier League title in Conte’s first season.

But Redknapp believes even the Italian would have been unable to keep Sunderland in the top flight, if he had the same resources to work with as Moyes.

‘It ain’t difficult to manage some of the top teams, when you’ve got fantastic players it’s the easiest job in the world,’ BBC Radio 5 Live.

‘It’s when you’re trying to stay in the division, like David Moyes this year, he’s gone to Sunderland.

Moyes is set to finish bottom of the table with Sunderland this season. (AFP/Getty Images)

‘I knew Sunderland would get relegated at the start of the year, and that’s not David’s fault, he took over a squad that had struggled for five years running.

‘Bought no good players, they are going to go down this year, sure enough.

‘It doesn’t matter who would have gone in there. David Moyes is a top manager. You could have put Conte in there and he wouldn’t have kept Sunderland up, either.’

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