Manchester United legend Teddy Sheringham has suggested that Roy Keane’s brutal criticism of Michael Carrick may be due to “frustration” over not being offered the manager’s job himself.
After sacking Rúben Amorim earlier this month, United turned to Michael Carrick to take over the helm until the end of the season as the club searches for a permanent solution.
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The former midfielder, who was in charge of four games as interim boss in 2021, was chosen ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ruud van Nistelrooy, another former star who also had a brief stint as manager, was also considered. Carrick’s temporary role at Old Trafford is his first job back on the bench since he was sacked by Middlesbrough in June last year.
Keane’s name was put forward by several of his former teammates, including Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, although the former Irish captain was never considered a viable option by INEOS.
Ahead of last Saturday’s derby match against Manchester City, Keane called the situation a “circus”. He suggested that Carrick’s time at Middlesbrough was a “failure” and also criticised the coaching staff, including former defender Jonny Evans. There was also a strange outcome against Michael Carrick’s wife Lisa, which stems from a social media post 14 years ago.
Sheringham spent four years alongside Keane on the pitch, perhaps during the club’s most successful period in history. They won “The Treble” in 1998-99 and two more Premier League titles before Sheringham left the club in 2001.
Although Sheringham believes United “could have done a lot worse” than bringing in their former captain, he believes Keane may feel a sense of injustice after being overlooked.
In an interview with Metro, the former England star was asked if the criticism from United’s former heroes has been driven by frustration over no longer being involved at Old Trafford. Sheringham said, “Maybe, when you talk about Roy Keane, that could be the situation.
“He was a manager not so long ago and would obviously have had his eyes on the Manchester United job at some point, having learned the trade at Sunderland and Ipswich. He would have thought: ‘one day’. And he has been overlooked. So maybe there is such a case.
“Listen, you could have done a lot worse than putting Roy Keane in charge and having that kind of influence over things. But having said that, Michael Carrick is in now and I like his demeanor, the way he is as a person, and I think he’ll do well.”
While there is still a lot to prove, Carrick silenced many of his previous doubters as United delivered perhaps their best performance of the season and swept City aside last weekend.
Sheringham says Scholes’ criticism is “part of playing for United”
There was another storm before that game, following derogatory remarks from two other club legends, Scholes and Butt. They suggested that Erling Haaland would “pick up Lisandro Martinez like an infant”.
Martinez responded with a superb performance against the City striker, and went back against Scholes and Butt after the game. The quarrel continued into this week.
“It’s part of playing for Manchester United,” Sheringham said. “Everyone around the country wants their opinion, but that’s the beauty of it.
“They are still the biggest club in the world. They are huge. You have to adapt to it. People like Keane, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, the Nevills, they will always have something to say about it. It’s their football club from many years ago.”
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