NOT KEANE
Roy Keane posts brutal 14-word message after Man Utd sack Erik ten Hag to bring dismal tenure to an end
Fans all said same thing as United close in on new boss
ROY KEANE posted a brutal 14-word message after Manchester United sacked Erik ten Hag on Monday.
The Dutch gaffer was given his marching orders today following Sunday’s dismal defeat at West Ham, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy made interim boss.
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Ten Hag had won just four matches all season before Sir Jim Ratcliffe sent him packing.
And United now look set to land an immediate replacement in Ruben Amorim.
It remains to be seen if a deal can be done in time for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Leicester.
But that hasn’t stopped Keane from firing off a brutal message on social media.
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The Red Devils legend took to Instagram with a new post showing him staring into the camera on a rainy day.
Keane showed off his trademark glare as he protected himself from the elements with a waterproof jacket.
However, it was his 14-word caption that sent shivers down the spine.
Keane said: “In good teams, coaches hold players accountable.
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“In great teams, players hold players accountable.”
Keane’s assessment of the situation at United delighted fans.
'Something seriously wrong!' Ex-Prem ref reacts to huge Man Utd call which saw Erik Ten Hag sacked
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One said: “Announce Keane as United manager.”
Another declared: “Best captain ever.”
One noted: “Agreed, the players need to take responsibility too.”
Another added: “What I’d give to have you in your prime back in our team.”
Why NOBODY is the right man to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
SunSport's DAVE KIDD explains what's wrong with all the potential candidates to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would also have been a popular and gettable option - but England got in there first.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
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