Keane in shock Black Cats move

ROY KEANE was last night being linked with a sensational return to football as manager of Sunderland.

The club refused to state Keane was on the brink of being handed the job, however they confirmed talks with “a high-profile figure” were ongoing with a view to a swift appointment.

Reports suggest Keane’s former Manchester United assistant boss Brian Kidd is set to take up the same role in the new managerial team.

The Black Cats slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Bury on Tuesday in the first round of the Carling Cup, a result which came on the back of four straight league losses.

Niall Quinn, the chairman-manager, decided to relinquish all coaching duties after the Gigg Lane shock and announced his intention to appoint a “world-class” new boss.

“I had to go into it to give the players some leadership and direction but all the time since we have been (looking for a manager),” Quinn said in Dublin yesterday.

“My investors went into this with me as a chairman and not as a manager and were anxious to get this done soon.”

Quinn will be hoping that the new man enjoys the rub of the green, something he feels he never received himself during his short-lived spell in charge.

“I knew it was going to be hard but what I hadn’t allowed for was that we didn’t get a break in the world in the five games. It’s been heart-breaking in many ways.”

Part of Quinn’s problem has been an inability to bring in new blood. Bids of £3 million (€4.4 million) and £2.4m (€3.5m) for Premiership players were accepted but both deals were scuppered by both players’ refusal to drop down a division.

But Djurgardens’ Swedish left-winger Tobias Hysen was undergoing a medical yesterday while Luxembourg and former Borussia Monchengladbach centre back has passed his physical and is mulling over personal terms.

Swiss international Ricardo Cabanas may also make the switch from Cologne and Quinn admitted the club badly needs the infusion of some new talent to refloat their season.

“We need them and everyone knows it. There is a weakness there and we really have to strengthen it up.

“I’m disappointed that we don’t have a better position up in the league, I’m disappointed not to be handing it over in better shape than it is.”

Manchester United legend Keane has no prior management experience, which would make him raw to the job rather than of established pedigree.

However he enjoyed enormous success during his playing career and, as a former United captain, is a recognised leader.

Quinn also knows him well, the pair having played in the same Republic of Ireland side for many years.

Sunderland said in a statement: “No new managerial appointment has been made at this time.

“The club is in discussions with a high-profile figure and is hopeful an announcement will be made in the near future.”

Keane, 35, retired as a player in June, after a short spell with Celtic during which he helped the Bhoys win the Bank of Scotland Premier League and Scottish League Cup.

He ended a 12-year association with United in November 2005 and fulfilled a lifetime ambition by joining Celtic on an 18-month deal. He managed only 13 appearances for the Hoops before quitting on medical advice.

With his body ravaged after cruciate ligament and hip operations, Keane had no choice other than to follow doctor’s orders. Should he be confirmed as Sunderland’s new boss, there seems no prospect of him combining management with playing at the Stadium of Light.

Ironically Keane, back in Cork on a recent visit home, took a training session with his old club Rockmount, giving a helping hand and advice to the club’s management.

Last week he oversaw proceedings as 28 of the club’s players were put through their paces during the 90-minute training session. Keane’s brother Pat is a Rockmount player.

The former Manchester United captain is currently taking his UEFA “A” Licence — the qualification needed to manage in the Premiership.

Keane helped United win seven Premiership titles during his Old Trafford career, plus the FA Cup on four occasions. However he missed United’s finest night in his time at the club — the 1999 Champions League final triumph against Bayern Munich — due to suspension.

He left United under a cloud barely a fortnight after his blunt assessment of the 4-1 Premiership humiliation at Middlesbrough was pulled from the MUTV schedules.

It is understood that Keane is the man Sunderland are talking to, despite the club’s statement and the refusal to comment from the Cork-born hard man’s representative Olan Kelleher.

Quinn has expressed his desire to have a new boss installed by the weekend, and Keane’s managerial debut could come next Monday in the home match against West Brom.

That would mean a managerial debut for Keane against Bryan Robson, the man he succeeded in the United midfield.