Roy Keane snubbed Sunderland because the “money” wasn’t right.
The former Manchester United legend was a firm favourite to replace sacked Lee Johnson at the Black Cats this month.
But speaking at Gary Neville ’s ‘The Overlap Live & @SkyBet’ in Manchester on Thursday night, the Irishman revealed: “As usual it came down to money!
“There’s always offers of work, but the deal just didn’t fall into place.
“There’s lots of pitfalls as an ex-player, but you’ve got to keep yourself busy.
“But everything has got to be right, the contract and the challenge.
“I’ve spoke to a lot of clubs but they’ve not been the right fit.”
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Keane, 50, famously guided Sunderland to a famous Premier League promotion in 2007.
And he was well-liked by Black Cats’ supporters during his 2006-08 managerial reign.
But after over a week of discussions during a second interview, Keane and his representatives couldn’t agree a deal.
“I did ok at Sunderland, it wasn’t easy at Ipswich, but I’d like to get back into management,” he admitted.
“But there’s some brilliant managers out there and it’s not easy.
“But if I don’t get another chance then it’s not the end of the world.”
Asked whether he consider working abroad, Keane - who was last a manager at Ipswich in 2011 - said: “Going abroad would be difficult, but you’ve got to be open-minded about it.”
And he categorically ruled out taking the United job.
“That’s never going to happen,” he stressed.
“My CV wouldn’t warrant it - it’s as simple as that.
“The Man Utd job is a tough job.”
Meanwhile, former Utd teammate and fellow Sky Sports pundit Neville admitted he regretted ever taking the Valencia job.
Neville was sacked after a miserable spell in Spain.
“I didn’t deserve that job, reflected Neville.
“I should have said no.
“I actually lost my confidence over there. I remember looking in the mirror one day and I knew I was really struggling.
“I had to get out of there. It was horrible.”
