Roy Keane has name checked Eddie Howe as the man he would like to see as the next Manchester United boss, claiming his temperament would be a plus around Old Trafford
07:07, 09 Jan 2026Updated 07:07, 09 Jan 2026
Roy Keane has had his say on the next Man Utd boss(Image: 2025 James Gill – Danehouse)
Roy Keane believes Eddie Howe should be the next Manchester United boss, insisting his calmness would serve the club well as they “need a bit of that”.
The Red Devils have been the talk of the footballing world this week after sacking Ruben Amorim on Monday morning. Their succession plan has seen them hand Darren Fletcher the reins as caretaker with an interim appointment imminent until the end of the season.
After which they will go after another permanent boss with several names being bandied around. Howe has been among them following his impressive work at Newcastle.
He took charge when the club were in the relegation zone but, with the help of their Saudi investment, has turned them into a Champions League outfit and Keane believes his experienced, coupled with his temperament would make him the ideal man to take over.
The Irishman said on Sky Sports: “I like what he’s done, he’s managed a lot of games, when his teams are it they play good football. I know he has his critics, but I like what he’s done at Newcastle, even at Bournemouth. He’s managed 700, 800 games. I like his calmness – I think Man Utd sometimes need a bit of that.
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“I like people with emotion, I’m quite an emotional person, but his calmness, what he’s done at Newcastle. Getting them into the Champions League, winning a Cup. I’d be happy to see him go in there.”
Howe has done his best to distance himself from the job, underlining his commitment to the project at St James’ Park. He was asked if there was anyway he would be tempted by another gig, he said: “No, not at this current time.
“The most important thing for me is happiness in the role, happiness in the job, the relationships I have with the people around me. Now, that’s not always been consistently good and things can change at any football club. But, at the moment, I am very happy.”
Eddie Howe is a hugely popular figure at St James’ Park(Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who played alongside Keane at Old Trafford, is the favourite to take interim charge at the club. It would be his second spell in charge following a near three-year stint previously. He had his critics throughout and Keane believes he could do a job until the end of the season, but isn’t convinced long-term.
He said: “Do I think its the right or wrong answer – I don’t know. But if it is until the end of the season, I think Ole would do alright until the end of the season. Do I see Ole as the manager for the next four or five seasons, getting Man Utd competing again, probably not.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is under pressure to make the right call following several big decisions that have ultimately gone against him. He stuck by Erik ten Hag when he took over the club, handing him a new deal, but then sacked him shortly after. Amorim was their first hire but he lasted less than 14 months before getting dismissed.
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