Manchester United legend Roy Keane has been touted as a good option to take the managerial role by a player who featured under him at Sunderland.

United are 16th in the Premier League and have been well beaten in their last two Champions League outings. Things are not looking positive for Michael Carrick, after he led the side to third in the league last season.

Two heavy losses in a row, to Como and Bournemouth, appear to mark the end of his tenure, and the Red Devils will now go about finding a replacement if they are definitely going to pull the trigger.

The likes of Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann, Unai Emery and Fabian Hurzeler are named, but Djibril Cisse feels United legend Keane should be handed the job.

The striker played under the Irishman at Sunderland and feels he’d be a good hire.

He told Mr Gamble: “Roy Keane has the weight of experience and history. He is a strong personality, and he’s an icon of the club.

“He wore the armband for so many years during United’s glory days, so bringing him back would be a really good thing.

“I really enjoyed working with him because he didn’t judge me on what he’d heard or what people might say about my character. He trusted me, it worked very well, and I was very disappointed when he left. He’s a coach I loved working with and whom I respect enormously.

“We’re quite similar. We’re honest, we say things straight, and once it’s said, we move on. We’re all in. When I do something, I do it properly. When I say something, I mean it. He’s like that too, and I really, really enjoyed my time with him.”

Roy Keane not among United options

Unsurprisingly, an outspoken man who has not managed his own side since 2011 is not one of the names on United’s radar.

TEAMtalk is aware that former Newcastle boss Howe is the favoured option to take the job at Old Trafford.

Further to that, assistants Jason Tindall and Stephen Purches are prepared to go with him.

Beyond Howe, sources have made us aware that the other names on the list are Nagelsmann, Hurzeler, Emery, Antonio Conte and Cesc Fabregas.

Howe appears to be the frontrunner, with a few of the other coaches currently in jobs, whereas he is not, making him an easier hire.