Roy Keane reveals stance on making shock return to Manchester United ‘circus’

Roy Keane would have no interest in returning to Manchester United were he offered the chance to help contribute to the club’s attempts to save their season.

Michael Carrick’s interim reign begins in earnest on Saturday with United welcoming local rivals Manchester City to Old Trafford.

Former United skipper Keane has been highly critical of the key decision makers at the club in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s downfall and acrimonious exit.

Having already questioned the wisdom of appointing Jonny Evans to a coaching role, Keane doubled down on that assessment prior to kick-off and branded his former club ‘a circus’.

He said: ‘It’s a great opportunity for Carrick. But of course I’m concerned, but I said that about the previous manager.

‘It just seems a bit of a circus act at the moment. But if they start well and get momentum I still think there’s a great chance for the team to get in the Champions League, which has got to be the aim.’

A host of the club’s former players,including the likes of Jaap Stam, suggested a personality as forceful as Keane would help restore some order to the United dressing room but the 54-year-old gave short shrift to that notion.

‘Would I come and help Man Utd?’ Keane said on Sky Sports. ‘No, it’d probably be no.

‘I wouldn’t want to work with people above me who are dictating who your staff are, telling you what players to bring in.

‘There’s chaos going on in the background. I’m not saying the previous manager hasn’t helped himself but I guarantee he’d come out one day and say there were decisions made that he wasn’t happy with.

‘Most managers go down that road and I get it, he was stubborn and his results weren’t great. There’s no reason why these four new staff members, as much as I’m concerned about them, can’t get some momentum going, they can do.’

Carrick, meanwhile, made several eye-catching changes to his first starting XI with both Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha dropping to the bench, while Patrick Dorgu was picked in a more attacking role.

England international Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire also represented bold selections.

‘I think experience is important in certain moments. It is not every solution, but it certainly helps in certain moments,’ Carrick said when asked about Maguire’s return. It is good to have Harry back.

‘Defensively, we want to be as sound as we can be.’

On Mainoo, who struggled to win Amorim’s faith, he added: ‘I think Kobbie is a fantastic player, he has huge talent, he has huge ability.

‘He has played in some unbelievable big occasions and coped with it. He has played for the national team in huge games, as well. I am looking forward to seeing him thrive.’