Micah Richards jokes his bag is packed to join Sky Sports pal Roy Keane at Sunderland as club approach ex-Man Utd star
MICAH RICHARDS joked he has packed his bags ready to join pal Roy Keane at Sunderland.
Keane has reportedly been approached by the Black Cats for an interview for the vacant manager’s job.
And his fellow Sky Sports pundit quickly quipped he would be following the ex-Manchester United captain to the Stadium of Light.
Richards, 33, shared a tweet asking if Richards could be Keane’s new No2, he quoted transfer guru Fabrizio Romano’s phrase whenever a deal is getting done, then tagged the Italian journalist.
Richards wrote: “Here we go Fabrizio Romano… I have my stuff packed.”
Richards and Keane have formed an unlikely bromance during their time together at Sky, with the charismatic, enthusiastic ex-Manchester City defender balancing out the Irishman’s stern persona.
Last year, Richards made the same joke about packing his bags when Keane was linked with Celtic.
Manchester United’s legendary former midfielder, 50, is among those being lined up for talks after Lee Johnson’s sacking – 13 years after leaving the position.
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SunSport understands Keane could be the man that owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus turns to as his replacement, with fan-favourite Jermain Defoe already returning on a free transfer.
Keane’s first-ever job as a manager came at Sunderland in 2006.
He led them to the Championship title in his first season and followed that up a year later by avoiding relegation from the Premier League.
However, Keane stood down from his position in December 2008 after a breakdown in his relationship with then-owner Ellis Short and chairman Niall Quinn.
He later had a spell with Ipswich and worked as a coach with Republic of Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
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