Manchester United officials intervened to prevent a potential face-to-face interview between interim head coach Michael Carrick and Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane, just days after Keane made disparaging remarks about Carrick's wife.
Sky Sports had requested a pre-match interview with Carrick from the studio before the Manchester derby, which would have placed him in direct contact with Keane. However, United blocked the request, and the interview was instead conducted by Gary Neville in the tunnel at Old Trafford.
The controversy stems from comments Keane made on the Overlap podcast, where he referred to Carrick's wife Lisa as 'a big mouth'. This followed a social media post from 2014 in which she had criticised Keane after he described her husband's post-match interview as 'boring'.
Carrick enjoyed a successful start to his interim tenure, overseeing a 2-0 victory over Manchester City. He has been appointed until the end of the season, with speculation mounting about a permanent role if he can guide the club to Champions League qualification.
Keane has also criticised United's decision to appoint another former player, questioning the inclusion of Jonny Evans in the coaching staff despite his limited experience. Evans left the club as a player in the summer and returned as a loans manager before joining the coaching team.
