Former England manager Sam Allardyce has now reacted to Roy Keane’s stance on Michael Carrick becoming the next permanent head coach at Manchester United.
Michael Carrick is tipped as the favourite to succeed Ruben Amorim in the Old Trafford dugout on a full-time basis after his successful interim managerial run.
The 44-year-old has spearheaded Manchester United’s return to the Champions League for the 2026-27 campaign after his transformative impact since January.
Despite Carrick’s influence since Ruben Amorim was sacked as Man Utd manager, Roy Keane has been a vocal critic of the Red Devils legend from time to time.
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Sam Allardyce now addresses Roy Keane’s remarks around Man Utd legend Michael Carrick
Roy Keane has insisted that Manchester United should explore other managerial options ahead of Michael Carrick, including more experienced head coaches.
The 54-year-old United legend has refused to openly back Carrick’s permanent appointment, despite the interim boss securing a third-place finish this season.
Carrick has also not bitten back at Keane’s comments in the past and not been drawn into a war of words with the legendary former Man Utd captain in public either.
Speaking on his podcast, Sam Allardyce insisted that Keane’s comments cannot take away from the major success that Carrick has had as an interim head coach.
“Well, Roy Keane would [be doubtful], wouldn’t he? I mean, Roy says what he wants and everybody believes him,” he said on No Tippy Tappy Football.
“So, you know, I mean, like, listen, Roy’s a great pundit for the punters, isn’t he?
“Because they like him, obviously. They like the stuff he comes out with. But, you know, at the end of the day, he [Carrick] has done an unbelievable job.
“And will he go on and be great? We don’t know, but he’s certainly done a great job.”
Are Roy Keane’s concerns valid? Or is he just adding needless negativity to the Michael Carrick debate?
Sam Allardyce now drops the biggest compliment of all on Michael Carrick’s interim head coach reign at Man Utd
Carrick has overseen 11 Premier League wins from 16 matches in the post-Ruben Amorim era, with the Red Devils only suffering two defeats under his reign.
Allardyce paid tribute to the former Middlesbrough manager by saying that he does not think Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti could have done much better than Carrick.
“Nobody could have done [better],” he added.
“If they’d have got, I think if they’d have got Carlo Ancelotti in, he wouldn’t have done better than what Michael Carrick’s done.”
Carlo Ancelotti had been linked with Man Utd in recent months, but the former Real Madrid boss recently inked a new contract with Brazil ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
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