Roy Keane has urged Manchester United to make a bold but Premier League-proven appointment by targeting Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe as the long-term successor to Ruben Amorim, while fellow former captain Gary Neville has called on the club’s hierarchy to “remove the risks” from their next managerial decision and pursue an elite, decorated coach such as Thomas Tuchel or Carlo Ancelotti.

Amorim’s dismissal, just over a year into his tenure, has plunged United back into familiar territory: another reset, another interim solution, and another debate over what kind of manager is required to restore authority and identity at Old Trafford. With Darren Fletcher currently in caretaker charge and the club weighing up options for the summer, the conversation among former players has quickly turned from short-term firefighting to long-term vision.

Keane, speaking on Sky Sports, made a surprisingly measured but firm case for Howe, whose work at Newcastle has drawn widespread respect. The former United captain highlighted Howe’s blend of experience, tactical clarity and temperament as exactly what his old club now needs.

“I’d go with Eddie Howe. I like him. I like what he’s done. He’s managed a lot of games. When his teams are at it, they’ll play good football. He has his critics, but I like what he’s done at Newcastle,” Keane said.

Keane pointed to Howe’s longevity and calm presence as key attributes for a club that has lurched from one emotional cycle to another since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

“He’s managed seven or 800 games. He’s still a young man. I love his calmness. Maybe Man Utd need a little bit of that.

“We’ve seen with our previous appointments, we like people with emotions, but he’s got that calmness. The job he’s done at Newcastle, Champions League and winning a cup, I’d be happy to see him go in there.”

Howe’s reputation has been built on his transformation of Bournemouth from the lower leagues to the Premier League and, more recently, on turning Newcastle into a Champions League side and domestic cup winners under intense scrutiny and expectation. For Keane, that trajectory suggests a manager ready for the unique pressures of Old Trafford.

Yet while Keane is open to a progressive, upwardly mobile coach like Howe, he is far less convinced by the idea of Fletcher being anything more than a stopgap. Fletcher, a former United midfielder and technical figure at the club, has impressed behind the scenes and in the media, but Keane was blunt about the limits of his suitability.

“Do I think Fletch is the man to do it? Absolutely not,” Keane said.

“But he’s stepping in to do it for a few weeks and a few months. He’ll probably win a few games. If they go with Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer], good luck to them. I wish him well.

“They need to get a top manager in to get a grip of the dressing room.”

That phrase – “top manager” – is where Neville’s intervention dovetails with Keane’s. While Keane is prepared to back Howe as a rising force, Neville is adamant that United must now prioritise proven, heavyweight credentials above all else. For him, the club’s post-Ferguson era has been defined by misjudged experiments and half-measures, and the next appointment must be as close to risk-free as possible.

“They should remove the risks,” Neville said on Sky Sports, arguing that United should be prepared to wait until the end of the season if it means landing the right candidate.

“It does look like that’s going to be put off for another four or five months, which I don’t disagree with because if they can get a Carlo Ancelotti or a Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season, a manager of that ilk, then you’d wait for them.”

Neville framed the last decade at United as a cautionary tale of muddled thinking. Aside from Jose Mourinho, he believes none of the managers appointed truly matched the scale and demands of the club.

“For so long, over 12 years, the football has been really poor. If you think about the appointments over that time, Jose Mourinho is the only one who fits the criteria of the club.

“Knowing the league, remove the risks. Have they managed in the league and do they know the game here? Have they managed in Europe and done well in Champions League?

“Have they been successful and won titles? Can they handle big pressure and big atmosphere? They have to fit that criteria.”

On that basis, Neville distilled the realistic options down to a very small group of elite coaches.

“You’re looking at Ancelotti and Tuchel.

“They’ve been in England, won leagues, won the Champions League and managed big players. They won’t get a bit scared if a pundit says something.

“My point is, if you think about that criteria, it only points towards two or three people.”

The contrast between Keane and Neville is subtle rather than stark. Both insist United must appoint a commanding figure capable of imposing standards and handling the glare of global scrutiny. Both are wary of sentimental or experimental choices. Where they diverge is in how narrowly they define “proven.”

Keane sees Howe’s body of work  hundreds of games, a clear playing style, success at Newcastle  as sufficient proof that he can step up.