Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has strongly advised his old club against appointing interim boss Michael Carrick as their permanent manager. Despite acknowledging his impressive start and recent winning streak, the outspoken pundit believes the Old Trafford hierarchy must look elsewhere, insisting there are far superior candidates available for the demanding role.
Keane has bluntly stated he would not hand Carrick the Manchester United reins on a full-time basis. Speaking after the team’s 3-1 Premier League victory over Aston Villa under their temporary boss, the pundit made his feelings clear regarding the managerial vacancy.
“No. I think there are better options out there,” Keane declared when asked if his former team-mate should get the job permanently. “I think the games where he’s come in, in terms of winning matches, he’s done a very good job. He’s obviously simplified things. But there’s been no jeopardy in those games.”
Despite his firm stance, Keane continued to acknowledge the favourable circumstances surrounding the caretaker manager. “He’s had three weeks to prepare for the matches,” he noted. “It’s been good timing for him to go in there, and he’s done a very good job.”
He added, “I take my hat off to him, and if he does get the job in the summer, then good luck to him, but I think there are far better options out there for the next manager of Manchester United. If Carrick had been mentioned three months ago, you would have been locked up. He wasn’t even in the reckoning. He’s done a good job, but I think there are better options out there.”
Despite the external noise and his impressive record of seven wins from nine games, the man himself refuses to get carried away. The interim manager has successfully steered the Red Devils six points clear of Chelsea in the Champions League qualification race, but isn’t getting carried away. “It’s only noise if you listen to it,” he said. “It doesn’t affect me one bit. I’m doing the best I can, loving it, and we keep pushing for more. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.”
The Old Trafford outfit currently sits third in the Premier League, boasting 54 points from 30 matches. They hold a vital three-point cushion over fourth-placed Aston Villa and are six points ahead of Chelsea.
With just eight league fixtures remaining, their focus is on securing a top-four finish. Their run-in features home games against Leeds United, Brentford, Liverpool, and Nottingham Forest, alongside away trips to Bournemouth, Chelsea, Sunderland, and a final-day clash with Brighton.
