The Manchester United legend has not held back on his thoughts on the appointment of Michael Carrick ahead of Manchester United’s clash against Man City.
11:32, 17 Jan 2026Updated 12:09, 17 Jan 2026
Roy Keane has not held back on his thoughts on Man United (Image: Sky Sports)
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has launched an extraordinary rant about the team and the appointment of Michael Carrick as interim boss. The United icon also fired shots at Jonny Evans as he fumed about the state of his former club.
Carrick’s appointment until the end of the season was confirmed this week, with United now looking to identify a permanent successor for the summer. His first game couldn’t have been much more harder with United hosting title challengers and arch-rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford in Saturday’s early kick-off.
Ahead of that match, Keane has not held back on his thoughts on the situation as he questioned Carrick and Evans’ credentials. Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “I’m more concerned with the appointment and the staff that have come in with the manager, but I think I’d be like that with most people at this stage of the season and looking at the group of player that they have.
“It’s going to be a big ask, you look at Michael Carrick, whatever his remit was at Middlesbrough, I’m pretty sure it was to get promoted, he didn’t do that, so you could say he failed there.
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“It doesn’t mean to say that he’s a bad manager, that’s a difficult job, but to get the opportunity, it’s great for him. The staff he’s brought in, we sit here every week talking about Man United being the best of the best, and at this moment in time, I don’t see that with the appointment and his staff. But it doesn’t mean that they can’t get results.
“It’s a great opportunity for him and his staff, but of course, I’m concerned, I said that about the previous manager.”
He went on to further question the appointment of Evans to the first team coaching staff, having heavily criticised the decision earlier in the week. The former defender’s return comes just months after he left his role as loans manager.
“It’s not an issue with Jonny Evans, it’s more an issue with the club, the decision-making, who they’re bringing in. Jonny Evans left Manchester United about four, five, six weeks ago right?
Keane again questioned the appointments of Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans(Image: Sky Sports. )
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“Leaves a month ago, had enough of doing that, he wasn’t there for ten years doing it, a few months. United are letting 100s of people go, staff, every week, but Jonny walks away from that job. Gets called a week later, Darren Fletcher.
“My issue with Jonny, he’s got no coaching, it’s not as if he’s worked in the academy for a few years.
“So Jonny gets a phone call, having left as loans manager, ‘do you want to come back?’ I bet Jonny’s thinking, ‘what as the kit manager or am I working with the U12s?’ ‘No, you’re coming back with the first team to work under Darren’.
“Obviously a great opportunity for him, they have two games, don’t go too well, that’s probably the end of that. Another manager coming in, he wants you to stay on as well.”
When asked if he would have gone to help United, he replied with: “It would probably be no, I don’t want to work with people above me who are dictating who your staff are, telling you what players to bring in.
“There’s been chaos going on in the background. I’m not saying the previous manager hasn’t helped himself, but I guarantee one day he’ll come out and say there were decisions made I wasn’t happy with.”
His rant again touched on the appointment of Carrick in a debate with fellow pundit Daniel Sturridge. When Sturridge said that Carrick can be a success if he gets United playing attacking football, Keane fired back: “Of course he can, you’re stating the obvious.
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“I’m agreeing with you, that can happen. But I’m not sure at this club, with the decisions being made above for these staff, and the staff he’s coming in with.
“Wilcox, whoever is making the decisions, people talk about looking for yes men, there’s a lot of manager out there who are yes men.
“We do Sky every week and we’re talking about Man United, the greatest club in the world, the biggest, but all of a sudden we’re going to take a gamble on a manager who hasn’t got a track record and his staff haven’t got a track record.”
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