“Of course…” Roy Keane praises Rúben Amorim for his controversial Manchester United call

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has praised Rúben Amorim for his controversial call upon his arrival as the club’s new head coach.

A few weeks ago, Manchester United announced Rúben Amorim as their new Head Coach after parting ways with Erik ten Hag.

Although Ten Hag received a contract extension in the summer, United’s struggles this season left them in 14th place in the Premier League and 21st in the Europa League, leading to his dismissal two weeks ago. The club acted quickly to appoint Amorim as his replacement.

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Ruud van Nistelrooy stepped in as interim manager during the transition, managing four matches with three wins and one draw to help “stabilise the ship.”

Amorim officially arrived in England on Monday, 11 November, to begin his tenure. His first match in charge is scheduled for 24 November, away against Ipswich Town.

Keane praises Amorim

Following Amorim’s arrival at Carrington, the club confirmed that Van Nistelrooy had departed after his interim spell. Subsequent reports explained that this was the new head coach’s decision.

Although the decision seemed somewhat inevitable, it was still controversial. Van Nistelrooy had become a prominent figure at the club, well-loved by fans, staff, and players.

On the latest episode of Stick to Football, former United captain Roy Keane praised Amorim for the decision, explaining that he always predicted the Dutchman to depart.

“I told you weeks ago, you didn’t listen to me! He was never staying,” Keane told his co-hosts. “Of course, he wasn’t going to stay – it’s the game.

“He did well. He beat some teams, Leicester twice. He handled himself well, of course. He looked smart, spoke well, Im not saying anything against that stuff, but he was never going to stay.

“When the new manager comes in, especially when Ruud was saying ‘I want to stay and help the club’, Ruud was never going to stay. “

Keane explains why

When former teammate Gary Neville further asked Keane if Amorim would have considered keeping Van Nistelrooy, Keane explained that due to the number of staff coming from Sporting alongside Amorim (six additional backroom staff members), it was never on the cards.

“I wouldn’t have thought so,” he continued. “When he’s got 26 of his own staff coming in, and you don’t need Ruud, who’s obviously been part of the previous [regime], absolutely not. You give him a few bob (money, for contract termination), everyone wins, simple.”

In conclusion, Keane said: “He had four home games, beat Leicester twice, they drew with Chelsea, and won in Europe. He did a nice job, came across and spoke well, as you’d expect.”

But ultimately, Keane explained that this would not have been enough to keep Van Nistelrooy at the club.

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