Roy Keane says Michael Carrick suffered as a result of an increase in “expectation and pressure” after landing the permanent Manchester United job and believes one of his players has been enduring a similar plight at Old Trafford.

Carrick has finally been sacked by Manchester United with the Red Devils in the Premier League relegation zone on eight points from ten games.

Man Utd confirmed in their official statement, after thanking Carrick for ‘conducting himself with the highest standards of dedication and professionalism throughout his time back with the club’, that they ‘intend to appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible’.

That man is Mauricio Pochettino, who’s reportedly reached a ‘full agreement’ to leave his role as USMNT coach to take the reins at Old Trafford.

Carrick was handed the interim job after being out of work for six months following his dismissal from Middlesbrough.

After taking United back into the Champions League he was handed a two-year permanent deal at Old Trafford and it’s been downhill ever since to the point now when his position became untenable.

Carrick has received plenty of sympathy both for the way he’s been treated in the last few days, taking training while knowing he would soon be out of the job, and because he asked for players in the summer that weren’t delivered.

Jamie Carragher refuses to “feel sorry” for Carrick, who “got the job on the back of nothing”, and Keane belies he “players’ perception changed” when he came back as permanent boss in the summer.

Keane said on The Overlap: “Come the summer, he [Carrick] was then managing the club. He was now manager of Man Utd.

“It’s completely different. I think the players’ perception of him must have changed. They had no European, no other kind of other challenges [in his interim spell].”

And Keane reckons Senne Lammens, who excelled in his first season at the club, is now suffering from a similar increase in expectation at Old Trafford as his now former manager.

“The goalkeeper all of a sudden, wow!” Keane added.

“Last year when he came in, there was no pressure on him. Everyone was saying: ‘Hey, he’s doing all right, he’s made some good saves’.

“Then all of a sudden we go: ‘No, you’re the main man – you’re the top goalkeeper’. Then he makes a big mistake at the World Cup, and then comes back [to Man Ud].

“Maybe he’s all of a sudden going: ‘I’m your number one goalkeeper. Oh, last year I was kind of under the radar’.

“[Increase in] expectation, pressure; it’s the same with the manager.”