Roy Keane tipped for Sunderland return as odds slashed on shock return to management to replace Michael Beale
Keane is among the favourites to be the next Sunderland manager as the Black Cats continue their search for a new boss after sacking Michael Beale last month.
Sunderland are still searching for a new manager after Michael Beale was let go last month – and Roy Keane is one of the top contenders for the position according to the bookmakers.
Former Rangers boss Beale managed to secure four wins out of 12 games before he was shown the door at the Stadium of Light. Mike Dodds has stepped in as caretaker manager for the rest of the season. Will Still is currently the favourite to become Sunderland’s next permanent manager, according to gambling.com, with odds of 6/4. In a recent chat, Still expressed his desire to manage in England and said he’d be open to taking on a Championship role at an ambitious club.
Keane, who hasn’t managed a team since 2011, is listed at 2/1 to return as Sunderland boss, says The Manchester Evening News. As a former Sunderland manager, the Republic of Ireland and Manchester United legend often comes up when there’s talk of a managerial vacancy at the Stadium of Light.
He was mentioned when Beale was appointed in December, and was the top choice for the Sunderland job after Lee Johnson was sacked in 2022, reports the Irish Mirror. However, talks fell through and Alex Neil was brought in instead. But Sunderland owner Kyril-Louis Dreyfus has dismissed the idea that Keane was ever seriously considered for the role in 2022.
He stated at the time: “The Roy Keane potential with Sunderland played out much more in the media than it really did in conversations that we had in the club.” Juan Sartori, who co-owns Sunderland, said that Keane would have been a fun choice and good for the team’s Netflix show, but he wasn’t right for the job. He remarked: “I think Roy Keane would have been fun, definitely good for the [Sunderland ‘Til I Die] Netflix series, but maybe we had a third season of disastrous finishing.”
