Micah Richards does not think Sunderland players would wilt under the pressure of working under Roy Keane by claiming only ‘five per cent of what he is’ comes across on TV.
Keane has been heavily linked with the vacant managerial role at the Stadium of Light as the Black Cats continue their search for Lee Johnson’s replacement.
Johnson was sacked last week in the wake of Sunderland’s humiliating 6-0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers after just over a year in charge.
Former Manchester United midfielder Keane is the favourite to become the next Sunderland boss - 13 years after leaving the club.
The 50-year-old led the Black Cats to the Championship title during the 2006/07 season, winning the LMA Championship Manager of the Year in the meantime.
He won 42 of his 100 matches in charge before departing the club in December 2008 and Keane went onto manage Ipswich Town, which has proved to be his final managerial job.
Keane has since gone on to work heavily in the TV punditry industry, where he has further established his reputation as a tough-talking, no-nonsense character.
Keane’s close friend Richards, though, does not think the way he comes across on TV would inject fear into any of the Sunderland players if he was to be appointed, and cited an example from his playing days to back up his point.
Speaking on BBC 5Live’s Monday Night Club, he said: “That only lasts so long. It’s like when I first met Patrick Vieira and played alongside him, I was in awe. I was starstruck - ‘it’s Patrick Vieira what a player and legend’.
“After about a week or two, it wears off a little bit. You go to work, you still respect him, you still want to give 100% but this whole thing of Roy is always angry, honestly they’ve got the wrong perception.
“Yes on TV, but if Man United were winning, or if he was doing punditry 10 years ago and Man United were winning every week, you probably wouldn’t see that side to him.
“But because United at the moment are going through a difficult spell, you see the worse side of Roy on TV. That’s all it is. That’s only five per cent of what he is, he’s an absolute diamond of a bloke.”
