ROY KEANE left Gary Neville stunned with a blunt statement about his roles on Sky Sports and ITV. The Manchester United legend works for the two broadcasters, delivering his views on Premier League football and the Euros. But in between his time as player and pundit, Keane was a manager.

The Irishman took charge of 100 games for Sunderland between 2006 and 2008, recording an impressive win rate of 42 per cent. Keane then spent 81 games at Ipswich Town from 2009 to 2011, with his win rate dropping to 34.6 per cent.

And he is yet to take another managerial role, despite being the Republic of Ireland’s assistant boss to Martin O’Neill between 2013 and 2018. Keane’s name has been mentioned as in the running for his country’s top job, with John O’Shea currently interim gaffer following Stephen Kenny’s exit. And making the switch would mean him giving up his punditry roles with Sky Sports and ITV.

But Neville appeared shocked after Keane revealed he “wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep” if he left TV — even if bosses informed him he was being cut from his contract. Speaking on The Overlap , the former Celtic man played down a return to the dugout despite insisting he could still do a “good job”. EURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERS But Keane also made it clear that TV work is only a small part of his life and does not dictate how he operates.

Keane said: “I kind of fell into management, I was doing my coaching courses when I left Celtic. The Sunderland thing kind of h.