We’re still a little sceptical about the prospect of Roy Keane returning to Manchester United as Louis van Gaal’s assistant, but there’s no smoke without fire and all that…
Initial reports linking Keane with what would be a sensational return – it wouldn’t be his first one to be fair – to Old Trafford appeared in a number of papers yesterday, with suggestions that the current Dutch boss would be open to working with a man who is still regarded as a legend at Manchester United despite difficulties in his relationship with the club, or more specifically, with Alex Ferguson, since his controversial departure in 2005.
The reports seemed just a little bit far-fetched at the time but a further report by Chris Herbert and Pete Jensen in the UK Independent suggests that the prospect is a very real one indeed, saying that the club want “a thread” to past glory and want former greats involved in the management of the club in the future.
With a number of potential candidates already ruling themselves out – Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp – and others seemingly unavailable – Carlo Ancelotti – Van Gaal is the clear favourite to get the job and there are suggestions today that United officials could meet with the Dutchman in Portugal this week with a view to ensuring that a deal is in place before he departs for the World Cup with the national side.
The fact that four of the famed class of ’92 – Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville – are all involved in various coaching roles and will look after the senior team until the end of the season adds weight to reports that United are keen to maintain that link with important players from the recent past and though it would have obvious repercussions on his role with Ireland as assistant to manager Martin O’Neill, the speculation is not going away for the time being at least.
Hard as it might be for some to imagine Keane back at United, many would have said the same about his involvement with Ireland and while Keane has criticised a number of United players in the past – as recently as Tuesday night, in fact – he had done the same before returning to the Irish set-up and there have been few problems since.
Despite all the speculation, our scepticism remains intact but in football, you rarely ever know what’s coming next.
