Roy Keane: Sunderland told to appoint Grant McCann after talks update today – Whelan
Noel Whelan has urged Sunderland to appoint Grant McCann over Roy Keane as their new manager.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested the former Hull boss would be a “choice above” Keane after impressing with the Tigers.
Football Insider revealed on Thursday (4 February) that Sunderland were set to hold talks with both McCann and Keane following Lee Johnson’s sacking.
The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope (4 January) has reported McCann, 41, had his interview on Thursday while the Black Cats held talks with Keane on Friday.
Whelan suggested McCann’s experience and recent work should get him the nod over the ex-Manchester United midfielder.
Discussing McCann as a candidate, Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “He’d be coming to the club from a team above them in the Championship.
“He’s proven that he’s got the capabilities of management and working under difficult circumstances at times.
“He did at Hull, when he took over there. McCann was unfortunate to lose his job because of the new management and new ownership. He did very, very well.
“There is no reason why he had to be sacked. It was just due to circumstances and personal opinion of the ownership.
“I do believe that he’s young, he’s fresh, he played a good style of football at Hull. He is one that is probably more capable of going straight away to be Sunderland manager than Roy Keane.
“That is just because he’s stepped straight out of a job and has been working as manager for the past two-and-a-half seasons at Hull.
“I do believe that he probably would be a choice above Roy Keane just on that basis.
“But if you’re looking for a bigger name, you’ve got Roy Keane.”
Sunderland currently sit third in the League One table.
McCann left Hull last month, with the Tigers sitting 19th in the Championship, after a change of ownership.
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