Ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane has once again criticised the club’s decision-making process, claiming that former manager Sir Alex Ferguson is “hanging around like a bad smell”.
Speaking on Sky Sports after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool, Keane was critical of United’s hierarchy and questioned the process behind hiring new managers after the recent sacking of Ruben Amorim.
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“What happens in these job interviews? I’m intrigued. Why do they keep giving certain people a job?” said Keane.
“What happens in the interview that they sit there and go, and 12, 14 months later, ‘he’s not the guy for us’. Do you not suss that out when you speak to them?
Ruben Amorim was sacked earlier this month after a disappointing 14-month reign as United manager (Getty Images)
“You see who’s making the decisions at Manchester United… you still have [Alex] Ferguson and David Gill [former chief executive] hanging around like a bad smell,” he added.
Current United interim boss Darren Fletcher admitted to calling Ferguson for his blessing before taking charge for the match against Burnley, which ended in a 2-2 draw. And Ferguson appeared at Carrington this week to speak with executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox.
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Keane was also critical of that performance, stating that “the standard of the game was a joke”.
“Everyone after the game was like, ‘It wasn’t bad, we did well’ – nonsense! Absolute rubbish. We’re going around in circles. Any ex-United player has got a chance.”
Darren Fletcher took charge of the match against Burnley but he is not expected to carry on as interim boss (Getty Images)
The latter comments reference United’s most recent search for an interim manager, with former managers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick in the running to take over until the end of the season.
Keane seemed to take issue with these candidates, again questioning “who is making the decisions” within the club’s hierarchy.
“Who’s making the decisions? [Sir Jim] Ratcliffe, [Jason] Wilcox? Who’s coming into this interview process, you’re speaking to a manager, you get a feel for somebody and go ‘he’s the guy for us?’” said the 54-year-old.
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“Almost forget the CV. You need something on our CV, of course, that you’ve won a trophy or managed a long time. But you’ve got to look somebody in the eye and go ‘are you the man to get us places?’.
“What happens when somebody walks in your dressing room, the top players sit and go, ‘what have you got for us?’ That’s what the top lads do. And if you haven’t got the answers, the players are going to eat you alive,” he added.
United are yet to make an announcement on the next manager, though it is believed that the club want to appoint another interim before making a decision on their next manager in the summer.
