Manchester United great Roy Keane has taken a swipe at former Sir Alex Ferguson as the hunt for a new coach continues.

The powerhouse Premier League club sacked Ruben Amorim this past week, making it 10 managers since Ferguson departed the end of the 2013-14 season.

Ferguson, who won an astonishing 13 league titles during his time in charge of the Red Devils, has remained a fixture at games and around the club since retiring.

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But according to Keane, who played 326 games for United during his career, Ferguson’s continued presence is doing more harm the good in the search for a long-term coach.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane. Getty

“What happens in these job interviews? I’m intrigued,” Keane said on Sky Sports.

“Why do they keep giving certain people a job? What happens in the interview that they sit there and go … and 12, 14 months later say ‘he’s not the guy for us’.

“Do you not suss that out when you speak to them?

“You see who’s making the decisions at Manchester United. You still have Ferguson and David Gill hanging on like a bad smell.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is firmly in the mix to take over for his second full-time stint at Old Trafford, but it will be Darren Fletcher who steps into the caretaker role.

Fletcher spoke about the influence of Ferguson after being appointed as interim coach.

“I don’t like to make any major decisions without speaking to Sir Alex,” Fletcher said.

Darren Fletcher. Manchester United via Getty Imag

“I’ve got a really good relationship with Sir Alex, so I wanted to speak to him first and ultimately to get his blessing, to be perfectly honest. I think he deserves that respect.

“I wanted to run it by him, and he echoed my thoughts. When you’re an employee of the club, it’s your job to do your best for Manchester United. It is something I try and live and believe every day, so it was comforting for me for him to say that.”

United sit in eighth spot on the Premier League table but remain just one win outside of the top-four with 17 games left in the season.

Fletcher will lead the side into an FA Cup clash with Brighton on Monday (AEDT).