‘I have no doubt Roy Keane could do Man United interim job, but a big chance would be taken’
Roy Keane has been put forward as a potential option to become the caretaker manager of Manchester United.
The Red Devils finally sacked Ruben Amorim on Monday after months of heavy pressure on the Portuguese, despite the fact that the team are within touching distance of the Champions League places.
Darren Fletcher has taken charge of Manchester United for the upcoming games, but the board are immediately on the hunt for a caretaker boss to come in and take the reins until the end of the season.
The Premier League giants are intending to buy themselves time before making their next permanent appointment in the summer, and that has set speculation swirling as to who could potentially lead the team until then.
Andy Townsend reacts to Roy Keane suggestion: ‘The thing is with Roy…’
Fletcher will preside over Manchester United’s clash with Burnley in midweek, but it remains to be seen how long it will take to find a caretaker boss.
The Old Trafford outfit have endured several managerial changes since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2013, and there is a possibility that they could look to turn to a familiar face until the end of the season.
United’s predicament was a major source of discussion on Jeff Stelling’s talkSPORT breakfast show on Tuesday, and one listener put Keane’s name forward as a potential candidate to take the reins.
Andy Townsend was quick to support the credentials of his former Republic of Ireland teammate, but also pointed out a major issue that would come with his appointment.
“The thing is with Roy, he could do it I have no doubt, but he might also be gone in a month,” Townsend said while reacting to the suggestion.
“That’s the chance that would have to be taken. That (interference from above) would be the difficult part for him to handle.
“But rather than going and getting an interim manager that we don’t really know or don’t understand, I absolutely get United’s game plan in terms of looking at people like Keane to come in on a short-term basis, before they go and get the big manager with the elite CV.”
Enzo Maresca among favourites for permanent job at Man United
Football Insider revealed on Monday that ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is a frontrunner for the Manchester United job on a permanent basis, when an appointment is made in the summer.
The Italian has strong support from the hierarchy at Old Trafford, as he previously worked with Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada during his time working with the youth team at Manchester City.
Julian Nagelsmann is another man who is understood to have admirers within the board, and could become available after overseeing the upcoming World Cup in his role as Germany boss.
Appointments of that ilk will seemingly have to wait until the summer at Manchester United, but the caretaker figure could easily change the picture drastically before then.