Man Utd legends called out by former team-mate as Roy Keane in firing line

Roy Keane and several other Manchester United legends have been called out by a fellow Red Devils hero

Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes have been called out by their former Manchester United team-mate Javier Hernandez for comments about Michael Carrick. Carrick did a remarkable job at the helm after being appointed as United’s interim head coach back in January.

He managed to secure a third place Premier League finish and qualification to the Champions League, which was largely unthinkable under his predecessor Ruben Amorim earlier in the season. That has since seen the 45-year-old be appointed as the club’s permanent head coach ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Yet, while many United fans and, evidently, the club have been pleased with Carrick’s tenure up to now, the former Red Devils midfielder has faced considerable criticism from the same people he shared a dressing room with during his 12-year stint as a player at Old Trafford.

Roy Keane seemingly holds some bitterness towards Carrick, having made personal jibes, while Paul Scholes took to social media to have a dig at his former midfield partner following a loss to Newcastle. Gary Neville also cast doubt over Carrick's credentials for the role.

Recently appearing on Rio Ferdinand Presents, Hernandez was asked for his thoughts about Carrick being at the helm and replied: "I love it, I love it.” Ferdinand then pointed out that several of the pair's former team-mates had been far less complimentary about Carrick.

"I don’t know why. I really don’t know why. There’s a fine line between criticising someone’s job, because you have to, and then your own opinions," replied Hernandez.

"I’m very surprised, mostly because you know Carrick more than I do. You spent so much time with him, not only as a teammate at the club but also with the national team. Carrick was always a man who never had a problem with anyone.

"The most civilised, calm person. So I don’t understand. How are you going to criticise a manager who is giving you results?

"He put your team back into the Champions League, so he deserves the consequence of that: stay, try to bring him players and give him the project. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But he took the team from low and put the team back into the Champions League."

Hernandez also spoke openly about his departure from United in 2015, admitting he felt the club had changed following the exits of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill in 2013.

He said: "It was very hard. Because if you gave me the chance to stay at United for most of my career, I would have taken it. The team that I played the most games for, even more than my hometown team in Mexico, is United.

"I would have taken a bullet for that team. It’s my team, Manchester United. But things weren’t the same. It’s not that I left the club that I was with; I left a different environment. It wasn’t the same club.

"With the departure, obviously, of Sir Alex Ferguson, but also David Gill and all that family structure. When I say family, it doesn’t mean that it was all nice, but there were values.

"I was very sad. Don’t get me wrong. I would have retired at United and I would take a bullet for that team. But it wasn’t the same team as the team that embraced me and gave me my first opportunity."