Former Premier League striker Djibril Cissé believes bringing Roy Keane back to Manchester United would be an invaluable move for the club, while urging the Old Trafford hierarchy not to make Michael Carrick a scapegoat during a turbulent campaign.
Drawing on his experience playing under the former United captain at Sunderland, Cissé praised Keane’s uncompromising leadership style and argued that the Irishman’s pedigree from the club’s trophy-laden era could provide a vital lift.
“Roy Keane has the weight of experience and history. He is a strong personality, and he’s an icon of the club,” Cissé told Mr Gamble. “He wore the armband for so many years during United’s glory days, so bringing him back would be a really good thing.
“I really enjoyed working with him [at Sunderland] because he didn’t judge me on what he’d heard or what people might say about my character. He trusted me, it worked very well, and I was very disappointed when he left. He’s a coach I loved working with and whom I respect enormously.
“We’re quite similar. We’re honest, we say things straight, and once it’s said, we move on. We’re all in. When I do something, I do it properly. When I say something, I mean it. He’s like that too, and I really, really enjoyed my time with him.”
Turning his attention to the scrutiny surrounding Carrick in the Old Trafford dugout, Cissé warned that repeated managerial turnover will not resolve United’s broader issues. Highlighting public backing from key dressing-room figures like Lisandro Martínez, the former France international insisted Carrick retains the tactical acumen and dressing-room trust needed to turn results around.
“It’s always good to have your squad behind you and to know your players support you,” Cissé explained. “How long they’ll give him, I don’t know, because Manchester United is a huge club, a huge institution, and they’ve been in a difficult situation for quite a few years now. I think the fans and the owners want change quickly, but unfortunately football isn’t that simple.
“Is Michael Carrick the main problem? I’m not sure. He was a great player who knows the game, and as a coach he’s shown he knows what he’s talking about tactically. So is he really the one who should be sacrificed? I’m not sure.”
Rather than pulling the trigger early in the season, Cissé urged the United board to offer Carrick time to build momentum heading into the festive period.
“I’d give him more time, at least until December, to see what happens,” Cissé added. “Sometimes continuity in the squad and the club is a good thing. The players have a relationship with him and the senior players are with him, as we saw with Lisandro Martínez, which isn’t by chance.
“He has good qualities and is doing good work. I’d be patient with him.”
