Roy Keane has suggested his time as a Sky Sports pundit may be drawing to a close, with the former Manchester United captain having previously set a timeline for leaving the UK.
The 55-year-old has been a regular face in the studio during Manchester United matches for years, but his own comments about his broadcasting future suggest he may not remain in the role for much longer.
Plans to move abroad
Keane has spoken openly about what might come next for him, setting a time limit on his punditry career and suggesting he could leave the UK altogether.
“In the next couple of years, I reckon I will be moving abroad... putting it out there,” Keane said during an episode of The Overlap on Tour in October 2024. He suggested Switzerland as a potential new home, describing the country as beautiful. That two-year timeframe will be up in autumn this year.
A move to continental Europe would mean a long commute to the studio, making weekend appearances more difficult. However, Keane has already indicated that this stage of his life and career will not last forever.
Hassle of matches and fans
In June 2024, a man was found guilty of headbutting Keane while he was working at a match at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. Keane raised the incident when suggesting he was unlikely to still be a pundit 10 years on from that moment.
“I love football, but the hassle of matches, getting to games, and the hassle of fans,” he told Stick to Football in 2024. “I was in court a few months ago with somebody headbutting me, do you think I enjoy that side of it? Absolutely not.
“The games are fine. Getting to the games, parking up, people shouting your name good stuff, bad stuff it's a nuisance. Being a pundit in 10 years, not.”
Other pundits planning exits
Keane is not the only Sky Sports regular who expects to be off screens within a decade. Micah Richards has been busy across club and international football, but plans to eventually step away and turn his attention elsewhere.
“I’ll be out of all this by the time I turn 46,” the former Manchester City defender told The Telegraph in July. “You won’t see me on any mainstream media beyond the 2034 World Cup. That will be the last time I am on the BBC or Sky or CBS. I’ve told them all this and they think I’m joking. I’m not.
“I’ve given so much of my life to football since leaving school at 14. But when the time comes, I want to make a difference to people’s lives at a grassroots level – to help those who need it most, especially young people.
“I come from Chapeltown in Leeds. It’s an area where there is so much talent, but a shortage of opportunity. I want to give something back. That’s my aim. I’ve no idea what form that will take, yet. There’s plenty of time to work that out.”
