A FORMER Manchester United forward believes Roy Keane is the ideal man to bring the glory days back to Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag’s side narrowly avoided disaster to beat Coventry on penalties and set-up a showdown with Man City in the FA Cup Final on Sunday.
But the pressure is still mounting on the Dutchman ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash at home to Sheffield United.
He won the Carabao Cup last season during his first term at the helm but this season has led to a series of underwhelming displays and embarrassments, including Champions League elimination at the group stage.
They are seventh in the Premier League, 16 points off the top four, and speculation continues to mount over whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe will stick with Ten Hag this summer.
Ex-United and Italy international Giuseppe Rossi, 37, spent three years at United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
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And he believes that United’s former captain Keane, now famous for his rants as a pundit, is the ideal person to take over from Ten Hag.
He told DAZN: “When I think about potentially having Roy Keane as manager at Old Trafford, that sounds like it could be really great. It would be something very cool.
“The club should definitely think about it if they have a change in management.
“A man who is a legend of the club and helped build their culture, that’s exactly what is needed.
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“Maybe some of the players that are not playing for the shirt would understand it more.
“Maybe you need someone to go into Manchester United and clean the house so to speak and build from there. It could be a great situation.”
Keane enjoyed success at Sunderland, leading them to the Premier League, in his first job in management.
He failed to replicate that at Ipswich and has since had coaching stints at Aston Villa, Republic of Ireland and Nottingham Forest, where he left in 2019.
Whether or not he would be interested in returning to Old Trafford remains to be seen, but Rossi is adamant that the current manager can transform the club.
He added: “I really don’t know if Erik ten Hag is the right man to bring glory days back to United because there has been too much inconsistency.
“For me it’s of course about the results but more because of the playing style. There doesn’t seem to be an identity to his team.
ROY KEANE’S COACHING CAREER
Check out the stats from his time in the dug-out:
Sunderland (Sep 1, 2006 – Dec 4, 2008)
Championship title (2007)
Premier League – 15th (2008)
Total matches: 100
Points per game: 1.45
Ipswich Town (April 23, 2009 – Jan 6, 2011)
Championship – 15th (2010)
Total matches: 81
Points per game: 1.37
Other coaching roles:
Republic of Ireland (Assistant manager)
Aston Villa (Assistant manager)
Nottingham Forest (Assistant manager)
“The best teams always have an identity no matter who they are playing or who is on the pitch.
“We see a different Manchester United against Luton Town to the one we see against Bournemouth.
“Losing to the big teams now and again is normal but the identity of Manchester United has been lost.
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“He’s clearly very knowledgeable and understands the game, we saw that at Ajax, but you have to look at the facts. We get glimpses and then it’s back to square one.
“He deals with the stuff off the pitch very well and all respect to him for that, but we need to see the United identity on the pitch.”
Pundits verdict on Ten Hag’s future
Where do the pundits stand on Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United future
Jamie Carragher – Sacked
“I don’t see how Erik ten Hag stays. It’s just performance after performance.”
Gary Neville – Stay if he wins the FA Cup
“To sack a manager who’s won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club I think would be extreme.”
Louis Saha – On the fence
“I don’t see it as clearly but they need changes from the players but they need changes from him as well.”
Alan Shearer – Sacked
“I believe the future of the Man Utd manager is already determined. Even if they win the FA Cup I think he’s gone.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
