Ferguson unsure over Keane return

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is uncertain whether Roy Keane will return to football management.

Keane resigned as Sunderland manager on Thursday after 27 months in charge of the Black Cats and his future in the game remains unclear.

"It is difficult to say whether he will be back," said Ferguson.

"He is an incredibly controversial character. Every week he always had something to say about the game. He was the same as a player."

Ferguson, who Keane played under at Manchester United, added: "He is such an interesting character and did a decent job up there."

Keane, who had spent more than £70m on 33 players since 2006, guided the club into the Premier League during his first season as manager before keeping them there last term.

And despite recent results, which have seen Sunderland win just one of their past seven games, the Black Cats are still in a better position this year than they were at the same stage at last season.

Former team-mate and now Manchester City boss Mark Hughes believes Keane's exit may have come as a result of not taking a decent break between finishing his playing career and taking over as manager at a club.

The 37-year-old Irishman went to Sunderland in August 2006 almost immediately after injury finished his playing career at Celtic in June of the same year.

Hughes also began his managerial career immediately but believes he was helped by the fact that his first role was as Wales boss, with the intermittent nature of the international calendar giving him time away from the game.

"You sensed in recent weeks that maybe there was a point where he was going to consider his future and walk away," said Hughes.

"He is still young and still has a future in the game, if he wants to return there is plenty of time for him to do so.

"Maybe he went from being a player to a manager too quickly.

"I think it is important to have a bit of breathing space once you stop playing and although I went straight into management it was with Wales so I still had a bit of time off. I don't think Roy had that benefit.

"He needs to take a step back, learn from the experience and go again."

However, Ferguson believes the problem is more deep rooted than that, with the pressures of management taking a greater toll than ever.

"There are very few managers that last more than three to four years at a club nowadays and the lifespan of a manager at a club is getting shorter and shorter," he said.

"They can move on to different challenges, but it's a very precarious industry nowadays and a very emotional game.

"A couple of years ago, people were saying that I should have gone four years earlier - the black flags were out!

"Football people like myself are fortunate to have been at a club for so long, though. I haven't had to go through that emotional situation."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed his surprise at Keane's resignation but believes he will make a return to management.

"It is a surprise, but I can understand it," said Wenger. "He is a passionate man, and I regret he leaves the job.

"When you are passionate, especially at the start of this career, you suffer immensely physically. Also, because he is a passionate man, there is no other way for him to be in the job.

"When you are passionate about the game, you go out of it and then come back into it because there is no other way to be happy. That is why I believe he will be back."