“An absolute cert for it”: United legend has his say on CL race, sends clear message to INEOS regarding Carrick

Manchester United took charge of the race for Champions League football with a commanding 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday. With the win, the Red Devils have opened up a three-point lead over Unai Emery’s side, with only eight games left in the Premier League season. United legend Roy Keane told Sky Sports that based on Sunday’s showing, he expects his former team to go on and clinch a place in Europe’s premier club competition next season. “I think they’re an absolute cert for it. Like we mentioned before, they have no distractions. They can just focus on the games, get some recovery in between the games. Roy Keane on United’s Champions League dreams “Villa looked a bit flat today, United in the second half were pretty comfortable. If you give players like Bruno [Fernandes] time and space you are going to be punished. “Like I said, I think United are absolute certs for that Champions League spot.” It was far from smooth sailing, particularly in the second half when Ross Barkley cancelled out Casemiro’s opener under dubious circumstances. Given the poor refereeing call and the fact that the visitors were in the ascendancy at that stage of the game, plenty of fans inside the Theatre of Dreams were fearing a capitulation. Carrick has transformed United’s mentality But under the caretaker head coach, this group of players never seems to give up, and that was once again the case as Bruno Fernandes inspired the team to victory, aided by goals from Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko. However, Roy Keane still feels Carrick does not possess the requisite CV to manage a club of United’s stature. He lauded the former England international’s impact but felt INEOS would be better served bringing someone else in in the summer, irrespective of United’s brilliant end to the season. “He came in at the right time and has done an excellent job. I congratulate him. If he gets the job this summer, I will wish him well, but I think there are far better options for the Manchester United manager’s job. Roy Keane on Carrick’s chances of earning top job “If Carrick’s name had been mentioned three months ago for the Manchester United job, everyone would have been sure he had no chance, that he was out of the running. To manage Manchester United, you need someone with trophies and European experience, which he does not have. “He may have done that in a few years, and then he will be in the conversation. Even so, winning games right now obviously gives him an excellent chance. He is doing his job, and I congratulate him for that, but this role involves other responsibilities.” Carrick’s former teammate Wayne Rooney shared the opposite opinion, claiming it would be a big mistake if Carrick did not get the permanent head coach role in the summer. For now, INEOS are keeping their cards close to their chest, monitoring multiple candidates including Roberto De Zerbi. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25