Roy Keane turns down Sunderland management return

Former Manchester United and Ireland midfielder Keane was believed to be close to being appointed as Sunderland manager after he held talks with the club last weekend, but issues have arisen in recent days and Keane is now out of the running to make a management return at the Stadium of Light.

Keane would have been required to take a huge pay cut if he had agreed to take over at Sunderland, leaving behind his lucrative broadcasting contracts with Sky Sports and ITV Sport in the UK.

There is also a feeling that Keane did not feel comfortable with the prospect of working within the Sunderland structure and has made the decision to step away from the appointment process.

Sunderland had been urged to walk away from talks with Keane earlier in the week, with former Hull City manager Grant McCann still believed to be a strong contender to land the role ahead of Keane.

One of McCann's former employers has suggested Sunderland's interest in bringing Keane back to the Stadium of Light for a second spell as manager is misguided, with Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony convinced McCann in the man the Black Cats need to appoint.

"Forget Roy Keane, forget about a big name manager, I think Grant McCann and his staff would do an incredible job," said Irishman MacAnthony on The Hard Truth podcast.

"If you want an honest opinion, him or my manager , if you want promotion from League One, you go for Grant McCann.

"Forget Roy Keane. Forget about a big name manager, I think Grant McCann and his staff would do an incredible job there. He has multiple promotions on his record and I think Sunderland's best bit of business they could do would be give him the job. I think he'd get Sunderland out of League One.

"I’ve seen Roy Keane has been linked with the job but I can’t get my head around it because he isn’t someone who is going to listen to a 24-year-old owner at Sunderland."

The youngster MacAnthony refers to is Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, the youthful man leading the search for the next manager and the ultimate decision maker over whether Keane is handed a chance to return to management for the first time since he was sacked by Ipswich in January 2011.

Keane has stated he wants to get back into club management, but he may now decide to commit his future to broadcasting after his successful move into punditry in recent years.