He’s unlikely to get a call from Ed Woodward any time soon, but Roy Keane is not ruling out a return to club management ahead of Euro 2016.
The Republic of Ireland assistant manager would certainly be missed by his boss Martin O’Neill, who opened up on his relationship with Keane in yesterday’s interview with Setanta Sports.
“Roy doesn’t smile too often and he has an image to keep as well: he’s supposed to be the growler. Sometimes, it’s absolutely spot on and sometimes it can be misplaced. He’s excellent company for a start, not that that’s important in the scheme, but he has been very important to us.”
After a bright start to his managerial career with Sunderland Keane endured a tough time at Ipswich, but O’Neill vouched for the enduring popularity of the Corkman, who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders to play in the Premier League.
Despite his reputation as “a growler” Keane is still regularly approached by well-wishers and autograph hunters.
“(Roy) is an iconic figure, not only in Irish football and not only in British football but also in world football. He’s retired for a number of years, and the number of people all over the world who come to him asking for autographs and photographs, is great to see.
“He’s not been forgotten at all and why should he be? He’s a world class player despite what Sir Alex Ferguson says, because he drove that side, not for two months, not for two years, but for about a decade.
“He drove them on to success after success. They had great, great players playing for Manchester United but none of them was as forceful.”
"He was a world class player, despite what Sir Alex Ferguson says." – Martin O'Neill on Roy Keane. https://t.co/fvmfdqHWwB
— eir Sport (@eirSport) December 22, 2015
