Roy Keane hints at major management U-turn after chatting with Frank Lampard

07 February 2024 , 18:55

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Roy Keane had been eyeing up a return to management (Image: Getty Images)

Roy Keane admits he's almost changed his mind on going back into management - and claimed it's "not worth the hassle and disrespect".

The Irishman had a trophy-laden career as a player at Manchester United, but has found roles as a manager hard to come by. He initially enjoyed success at Sunderland shortly after his retirement, guiding them to the Championship title and then keeping them in the top flight.

He took charge of Ipswich Town for just shy of two years but was axed in April 2011. That remains his last job as a manager with several assistant gigs coming his way at the likes of Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland. Keane had been keen to get back involved despite his lengthy time out.

Now though he admits he's potentially decided to remain away from the dugout. He told Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Bet : “We were talking about going back into management, I think the longer you are out of it, the more you think – well, the last few chats we’ve had about going back to it, even before Frank [Lampard] came in as a guest – I am swaying towards not going back into management.

"I just think it’s not worth the hassle and people constantly disrespect you. Not talking about Pep and Klopp’s level, but when you go down a certain level and you have any sorts of chats or discussions about going back into work [management] – I’m not joking you, people think you are so desperate that you’ll sign anything.”

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Back in February 2022 Keane was close to a return to Sunderland, having advanced talks with the board at the Stadium of Light before eventually deciding to turn it down with the Black Cats later employing Alex Neil. The Irishman said at the time: "It wasn't meant to be."

Roy Keane's last top job was more than a decade ago at Ipswich Town

Players who've enjoyed impressive playing careers can often see more doors open for them when they want to go into management, even if they lack experience. Legendary England figures like Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney have all endured mixed fortunes in the dugout.

Keane has claimed that there is some ill-feeling towards top players who get handed jobs at big clubs. He said: “There’s an element where if you finish and you have a decent career and you get a decent job quickly, I think there is that resentment towards managers that have had a good career [compared to] managers who were down the lower leagues, and they learned their trade in League One or League Two over 200-300 games.

Samuel Meade