Michael Carrick tasted victory in his first match in charge since rejoining Manchester United as caretaker manager but comments from Roy Keane left a sour taste
Roy Keane at England vs Senegal in 2025
Roy Keane has attracted attention for comments about Michael Carrick(Image: PA)
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Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has come in for fierce criticism for his comments about Michael Carrick's wife Lisa.
Keane's words came as Carrick - who inherited his No.16 shirt at Old Trafford - got set to take charge for the first time since taking over as caretaker manager for the second half of the season. “Well his wife can always come in because she has got a bit of a big mouth sometimes. She is probably doing the team talk,” Keane said on the Stick to Football podcast.
The comments were just one aspect of Keane's assessment of United choosing Carrick to succeed Ruben Amorim for the remainder of the campaign. However, they hit a nerve with former Ireland international Eamon Dunphy.
"Roy Keane greeted Michael Carrick’s moment by having a go at Carrick’s wife, Lisa," Dunphy wrote for the Irish Mirror. "Keane is becoming an embarrassment - to football, to himself, and perhaps to Ireland."
Dunphy added: "This stems from a row between Carrick’s wife and Keane back in 2014. But it is not right - ever - to attack a woman in a high-profile situation like this. It is cheap. It is lazy. And it is wrong.
"I feel ashamed for football, and for Ireland, because of Keane’s antics. I feel for Carrick. He has taken on a big job at Old Trafford. He is trying to rebuild something meaningful. Keane, meanwhile, is doing adverts where he insults people for money, becoming a parody of the figure he once was.
"But to have your wife publicly attacked by Roy Keane crosses a line. It is too much. And it says far more about Roy Keane than it ever will about Michael Carrick."
Michael Carrick with his wife Lisa
Michael Carrick with his wife Lisa(Image: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)
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On the field, Carrick began his tenure with a memorable win against Manchester City. The former England midfielder had a previous spell in interim charge, between Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking and Ralf Rangnick's temporary appointment, though this longer stint has already prompted some to suggest he could get the job on a permanent basis.
United put in one of their best performances of recent seasons to dent their neighbours' title bid. Second-half goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu made the difference, but the hosts also had multiple goals disallowed at Old Trafford and were denied by some fine stops from City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
"Obviously, we had things we wanted to achieve in the game and the boys took it on but tactics are one thing and words another," Carrick said after the win. "You've got to put it on and make it happen, bring it live and everything today was spot on.
"Listen, I'm not going to say too much out of respect for Pep Guardiola, he's such an unbelievable, incredible coach and they're such a good team. So it's not for me to pick them apart publicly. I think I wanted us to play to our strengths. We needed to be compact and needed the distances as short as possible between the units and between the positions.
"We needed to move as a team and, a few times, it got a little bit opened up but we still looked dangerous and I thought the front line were fantastic. It was everything what we would hope for, hence getting the good result."