FUTURE FOOTY?
‘No chance’ – Roy Keane predicts major life change he’ll have made in ten years’ time as he marks 53rd birthday
One of his punditry pals had an entirely different outlook though
ROY KEANE turned 53 on Saturday - but don't expect to see him on TV screens analysing football for endless Saturdays and Sundays.
In the latest episode of Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Bet, he reflected on getting another year older.
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Host and longtime Man United teammate Gary Neville posed the question of where he sees himself in ten years' time.
And much to the shock of Jamie Carragher, Keane insisted he definitely won't still be working as a football pundit.
He replied emphatically: "Absolutely f**king not! No chance. Jesus Christ are you joking?
"I'll struggle to get through the next ten months doing this. No, ten years? No chance Jamie.
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"I love football, that's true. But the hassle of matches now. Do you not think the hassle of them, from getting to games to fans.
"I was in court a few months ago...some guy headbutting me y'know.
"Do you think I enjoy all that side of it? Absolutely not. The games are fine.
"But getting to them, parking up. People shouting your name: good stuff...bad stuff. It's a nuisance isn't it?
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"This podcast is different as I'm on about going to matches.
"But be a pundit in ten years' time? No, no. I can guarantee I won't be."
Roy Keane's embarrassed reaction to Gary Neville, Jill Scott and Ian Wright's 'Happy Birthday' song
There were some lighter moments around his landmark date passing by though.
Neville, Carragher, Jill Scott and Ian Wright serenaded him with a verse of 'Happy Birthday' - much to Keane's chagrin.
As for the actual times where they did stick to football?
Cork's most famous son voiced his usual concerns at a lack of quality running through his former club's line-up.
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He outlined: “It’s always a worry for me about competing and I still worry about the spine of that Manchester United team.
"For all the nice play they have and good players, I still worry about the goalkeeper and striker.
“On paper they have a decent squad.
"But the reality is when they’ve played games, and last year with their record in the league they were so open, If you’re on about competing, I worry about the spine of the team.”
However, Neville struck a more glass half-full tone as he cited their decent showing in the Community Shield.
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The ex-England right-back argued: “There was a massive difference last year.
"They played Casemiro sitting on his own, with no one alongside him, and they had basically [Mason] Mount and [Bruno] Fernandes right in front, and then they had the two wide players high.
"That is not what they are doing now. They are putting [Kobbie] Mainoo alongside Casemiro and then they are playing narrow with Mount and Fernandes.
"I’m not saying it’s a system, I can’t see a balance, but he’s got an interesting four players that he might try and go with, with some sort of split striker.
"I think he’ll like what he’d have seen against City, in the sense that they can play with each other, and they can also be a bit narrow and compact.
“Look I’m not convinced by it, Carra – I’m saying I think he’ll look at it, and think at the moment, I can’t afford to be as open as last season.
"I can’t leave Casemiro like they are, and at the moment my strikers are a bit off.
"So, I’ll play the two sort of split strikers, and probably play them four in there.
“We used to do it, Scholsey [Paul Scholes] to the left, Becks [David Beckham] to the right, and when you [Roy] were injured sometimes, with like Butty [Nicky Butt] and John O’Shea as an example, we’d play a narrow four and we did that for quite a few times to be compact.
"And Juventus did it with a four in midfield which was Pogba to the left.
"I just think he [Ten Hag] might do something like that, and get them in.
"I don’t know if it fits, but I feel that’s what they are going to go with.”