United Block Sky's Keane-Carrick Studio Stunt Ahead of Derby Showdown

Manchester United weren't having it. Sky Sports reportedly made a cheeky pitch to orchestrate an on-air encounter between Roy Keane and Michael Carrick before the Manchester derby—a proposal the club swiftly rejected.

The idea was for the new interim manager to sit down in the studio with Keane, who had recently taken aim at Carrick's "big mouth" wife during an appearance on The Overlap. Instead, Gary Neville got the job, conducting the pre-match chat with his former teammate.

The Beef

This latest spat has its roots buried deep. Back in 2014, Lisa Carrick fired back at Keane's criticism of her husband's Champions League performance against Olympiacos, suggesting he "will say anything to provoke a reaction." More recently, Keane resurrected the feud, jokingly predicting Carrick's wife would be picking the team for the rest of the season.

When pressed on the matter at his Friday press conference, Carrick kept it measured. "It didn't bother me," he said flatly, before brushing aside suggestions that United legends were piling on the pressure. "There are plenty of opinions around, some positive, some not too much. It's totally irrelevant in terms of what I focus on."

He added: "I'm not going to pay too much attention to that. For me, the players and staff it's a focus on how we're going to succeed."

Carrick's Answer

Carrick answered the critics in the most emphatic way possible. United's 2-0 demolition of Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday was arguably their finest performance of the campaign, leaving Keane and other doubters with little ammunition.

Even Keane himself acknowledged the achievement, though he wasn't about to get carried away. When Daniel Sturridge suggested Carrick might keep the job beyond this season, Keane pumped the brakes hard.

"He's only been there for three days," Keane said. "It was the dream scenario for him. Everyone's available. You've got Manchester City at home, who have been a little off. You could have had a man sent off – timing and a little bit of luck, they've made the most of it. I'm taking nothing away from him. I'm happy to give credit where it's due. And fantastic today. But everyone just calm down."

Fair point, Roy. One good day doesn't rewrite the script—though it certainly helps.