Roy Keane has been labelled a ‘parody’ of his former self, following comments the Manchester United legend made towards Michael Carrick and his wife in a public feud.
Michael Carrick began life as the interim boss at Manchester United in the perfect way, by winning a Manchester derby comfortably in his first game in charge of the Red Devils. The former United stalwart has seemingly invigorated the playing squad, who dominated City, winning 2-0 on Saturday.
Carrick’s appointment was generally received well by the fanbase, being a smart appointment on an interim basis where the side is pushing for Champions League qualification and requires stability from an individual who knows the club inside out and has Premier League experience.
However, former United captain Roy Keane was not entirely convinced by the appointment and has made his views clear over the past few weeks about Carrick taking the helm at Old Trafford. Carrick inherited Keane’s No.16 shirt in his playing days, but has not seemed to gain the legend’s trust so far in his coaching career.
Keane also recently voiced his opinion on Carrick’s partner during an episode of the Stick to Football podcast, saying, “Well, his wife can always come in because she has got a bit of a big mouth sometimes. She is probably doing the team talk,” a joke hitting back at Lisa Carrick’s critical tweet of Keane in 2014.
These remarks have angered certain individuals in the footballing scene, who criticised the Irish international for not giving Carrick a chance, and prodding fun at his wife before he has even taken charge of a match.
Roy Keane branded as an ’embarrassment to football’
Former Ireland international Eamon Dunphy, in particular, took great offence to Keane’s comments, with the 80-year-old former Irish international writing a long critique for the IrishMirror, bashing the pundit’s comment about Carrick and his wife.
“Roy Keane greeted Michael Carrick’s moment by having a go at Carrick’s wife, Lisa. Keane is becoming an embarrassment – to football, to himself, and perhaps to Ireland.”
“This stems from a row between Carrick’s wife and Keane back in 2014. But it is not right – ever – to attack a woman in a high-profile situation like this. It is cheap. It is lazy. And it is wrong.
“I feel ashamed for football, and for Ireland, because of Keane’s antics. I feel for Carrick. He has taken on a big job at Old Trafford. He is trying to rebuild something meaningful. Keane, meanwhile, is doing adverts where he insults people for money, becoming a parody of the figure he once was.
“But to have your wife publicly attacked by Roy Keane crosses a line. It is too much. And it says far more about Roy Keane than it ever will about Michael Carrick.”
Dunphy brandishing Keane as an ’embarrassment to football’ is potentially a harsh view, but the United legend has also divided social media with his criticism of Carrick, who will be looking to silence his critics by the end of the season.
Carrick needs to drown out the critics
Carrick’s first game was undoubtedly a huge step forward for the side as they look forward to the end of the campaign, but the interim boss must try to maintain this momentum, which is something the squad has struggled with so far this season.
Pundits like Keane and other negative stories surrounding the club are only going to distract from the main goal: achieving Champions League qualification by the end of the season, which is vital to bolstering funds.
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If Carrick can maintain a positive feel around Old Trafford from both fans and players, this will give him the best chance as interim boss and potentially prove to everyone he is the man to take United forward permanently.
A return to authentic United values under Carrick seems inevitable and, above all else, will likely require the players to leave everything on the pitch, endearing both him and the players to the fanbase if they can start picking up results consistently.
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