Michael Carrick’s wife previously launched a scathing attack on Manchester United legend Roy Keane via social media. The former Red Devils midfielder and coach is now poised to take charge as interim manager until the season’s conclusion following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal last week. Carrick had previously featured for United in loss to Greek side Olympiacos in 2014, which prompted his wife Lisa to unleash her fury on X in response to criticism from former United skipper Roy Keane.
“Roy Keane what a **** says anything to provoke a reaction… That’s all… Done…” she posted, before swiftly removing the tweet and issuing a replacement. She subsequently wrote: “Deleted my tweet… Emotions got the better of me… Just disappointed.” Keane had been particularly critical of Carrick’s post-match assessment of the defeat.
In typical candid style, Keane had said: “That interview was just like the performance: flat. He should say a bit more, have a bit more urgency, even in his interview. That just reflected United’s performance tonight: flat, with no urgency.”
However, Carrick has now emerged as the frontrunner to become United’s manager for what remains of the campaign, having made a strong impression on club hierarchy during face-to-face discussions.
United have been conducting an extensive search for Amorim’s successor and have held talks with both Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whilst caretaker manager Darren Fletcher has also been in the frame.
The ex-Middlesbrough boss could be confirmed in his new role imminently, with United anxious to afford Carrick sufficient preparation time ahead of Saturday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox were understood to favour bringing in a caretaker manager until the end of the campaign, with Fletcher overseeing fixtures against Burnley and Brighton in the interim.
Carrick sat down with Berrada and Wilcox last Thursday, whilst Solskjaer engaged in discussions with the pair on Saturday. The Norwegian, who spent three years at the helm between November 2018 and November 2021, swiftly became the frontrunner and has remained in the north west following his departure from Besiktas in August.
Meanwhile, Keane has previously expressed his desire to see Newcastle manager Eddie Howe take charge at United come the summer. Speaking on Sky Sports, the Irishman said: “I like what he’s done, he’s managed a lot of games, when his teams are it they play good football.
“I know he has his critics, but I like what he’s done at Newcastle, even at Bournemouth. He’s managed 700, 800 games. I like his calmness – I think Man Utd sometimes need a bit of that.
“I like people with emotion, I’m quite an emotional person, but his calmness, what he’s done at Newcastle. Getting them into the Champions League, winning a Cup. I’d be happy to see him go in there.”
When questioned about the possibility of him taking the reins at Manchester United, former Republic of Ireland skipper Keane responded: “No, not at this current time.”
He added: “The most important thing for me is happiness in the role, happiness in the job, the relationships I have with the people around me. Now, that’s not always been consistently good and things can change at any football club. But, at the moment, I am very happy.”
