Caring and motivating: What it's really like to play under manager Roy Keane amid Sunderland link

03.02.2022 - 20:41 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Roy Keane needs no introduction at Old Trafford and beyond - but even Manchester United supporters might not be too familiar with his warmer side.

A real driving force for United throughout the 1990s and early 2000s - winning seven Premier League titles - Keane was a tough-tackling midfielder during his playing days.

He has followed suit in that regard as a sharp-tongued pundit for Sky Sports and other such broadcasters.

Spells in management with Sunderland and Ipswich seem a long while ago now.

However, some 13 years after leaving the Stadium of Light, the former Black Cats manager is set to be interviewed as a potential replacement for sacked Lee Johnson. Keane won promotion into the Premier League with Sunderland in a role he previously held between September 2006 and December 2008.

In between his ongoing work as a pundit, the 50-year-old has acted as assistant for the Republic of Ireland national team, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, while he left his last managerial position at Ipswich in 2011.

So what is it like to play under the United great?

Carlos Edwards played as a right-back for Keane at Sunderland and Ipswich.

During an interview with The Athletic in 2020, he said: "Most players will have been intimidated to go and speak to him, because they were thinking they would get an 'eff off'.

"But he always told me; 'Family comes first' and I loved that about him. He always said; 'Make sure the home is taken care of. If you are happy at home, you can be happy at training'.

"That was one thing he had good eyes for. There were confidential things you could say - whether it was football or not football-related. He has that sentimental side."

The former Ipswich player David Norris added: "Honestly, I loved him. He