It's now five years since Roy Keane worked in management.
The Corkman's last role was as an assistant to Martin O'Neill - not with the Republic of Ireland but for a doomed six-month spell with Nottingham Forest. That role came to an end in the summer of 2019 - quite the amount of time for Keane to have been out of the game.
His former club Manchester United have been in the doldrums of late, managing just seven points from their first six Premier League games this season to leave Erik ten Hag seemingly on the brink of the sack.
Despite the volatile instability at United of late and Keane's long stint out of coaching, former Ireland captain Andy Townsend inexplicably suggested this week for his ex-teammate to take over at Old Trafford.
You can imagine what it would be like the first game back at Old Trafford with the expectancy. The players need shaking up.
We pussyfoot around footballers because, 'Can't upset them, can't...' - get hold of them and get them going.
It's a suggestion we're decidedly filing under "questionable."
Regardless of your read of Keane's managerial ability, it's near-impossible to see the Irish legend doing much better than the mess he would inherit from ten Hag.
With the character of the United dressing room called into question in recent years, the one characteristic that could justifiably be put forward in support of Keane is the utter ruthlessness (bordering on hostility) he would bring to the role.
However, that is something Arsenal icon Emmanuel Petit does not think the Manchester United squad need whatsoever.
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Emmanuel Petit not taken by bizarre Roy Keane Manchester United link
Emmanuel Petit, who won the double with Arsenal in 1998, appeared on talkSPORT this week to discuss the situation at Manchester United.
Andy Townsend's audacious lob of Roy Keane into contention to take up a role at the club was something Petit was not taken by, suggesting that Keane's notoriously tough persona would not help turn United's form around.
Being a great former player is one thing, being a great manager is something different. The personality and character of Roy Keane...I don't think that could be easy for the players to cope with.
I think, actually, the players don't need someone to kick their heads, or to shake up the players.
They need someone to bring the proper vision of what he wants to do on the pitch with the players. When I look at Manchester United, I feel they are lost on the pitch. They don't know what to do, they don't know how to move, they don't know how to play together. They don't know how to get linked together.
Being a great personality and character just like Roy Keane is something good but it's not what Manchester United need.
For a multitude of reasons, it is virtually impossible to see Roy Keane taking over should Erik ten Hag ultimately be sacked at his former club.
Perhaps there may be a backroom role for the ex-United captain should one of his former teammates take over (as Ruud van Nistelrooy has been heavily tipped to do), but his years out of the game are likely to count against him.
