Recent results have shown the new manager could have what it takes to get the job, but Roy Keane doesn’t believe that’s the right decision.
Speaking on Sky Sports after Manchester United’s 3–1 win over Aston Villa this past weekend, Roy Keane didn’t hold back.
Despite United’s rise to third and a strong run of form under Michael Carrick, Keane was clear: he wouldn’t give Carrick the job permanently.
“I’m not getting giddy…there are better options,” he said bluntly.
And just like that, momentum, results, and progress were all brushed aside, writes Rant Sport’s Noah Ngcobo.
Reputation over results?
There’s being brutally honest, and then there’s being stuck in a different era. And right now, Keane feels like he’s arguing with a version of United that doesn’t exist anymore.
United are third. Third. After finishing 15th last season.
The players look alive again, the fans are backing the team, and for the first time in a while, things feel like they’re actually moving forward.
And Keane’s response?
“I wouldn’t give him the job.”
“There are far better options out there.”
Honestly, based on what?
Because if we’re stripping this down to basics, which Keane usually loves to do, football is about results.
Not reputations. Not big names.
Results.
And Carrick is getting them.
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The “better options” myth
This idea that a manager needs a glamorous CV before they’re “allowed” to succeed at a big club is exactly the kind of thinking that keeps clubs stuck in cycles.
Hire the big name, sack the big name, repeat.
Meanwhile, the guy already in the building is winning games, building trust, actually improving players, but gets overlooked because he doesn’t come with a headline.
Keane also pointed out that Carrick’s run has come with time on the training ground, almost as if that’s a negative. Since when did preparation become a criticism?
Because here’s the reality Keane seems to be ignoring: the “far better options” aren’t guarantees. They are risks. Expensive, disruptive risks.
Carrick isn’t a risk right now. He’s the one thing United haven’t had in years, continuity that’s actually working.
This isn’t about sentiment. It’s not “give him the job because he’s a club legend.” It’s simpler than that. Give him the job because he’s earning it.
For someone who built his career on standards, it’s strange to see Keane dismiss the one thing he used to demand every week.
Winning games.
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