Roy Keane has been tipped to take up a shock role at Manchester United with Erik ten Hag's future seriously in doubt.
Man United made a stark improvement during Ten Hag's first season in charge at Old Trafford, but this term the Premier League giants have regressed.
Though United just about saved themselves from a humiliating FA Cup semi-final defeat to Coventry City - they drew 3-3 despite leading 3-0 with 20 minutes left to play - Ten Hag's side have suffered a number of embarrassing blows this season.
After crashing out of the Champions League at the group stage, United are now seventh in the Premier League table and look unlikely to secure European football for next term.
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The pressure on Ten Hag has ramped up in the months since Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his minority takeover of the club, and the British billionaire is yet to make a decision on the manager's future either way.
The likes of Zinedine Zidane and Thomas Tuchel have been linked with replacing the Dutchman in the event that he is dismissed, but now an unlikely name has been thrown into the mix.
Ex-Italy attacker Giuseppe Rossi spent three years at United during Sir Alex Ferguson's reign, and he believes that former United captain Roy Keane could be the ideal candidate to succeed Ten Hag.
"When I think about potentially having Roy Keane as manager at Old Trafford, that sounds like it could be really great. It would be something very cool," Rossi told DAZN.
"The club should definitely think about it if they have a change in management. A man who is a legend of the club and helped build their culture, that’s exactly what is needed.
"Maybe some of the players that are not playing for the shirt would understand it more. Maybe you need someone to go into Manchester United and clean the house so to speak and build from there. It could be a great situation."
Ten Hag has had to deal with several disciplinary issues this season involving the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho.
Rossi believes that Keane, who enjoyed a successful spell in charge of Sunderland but struggled in coaching roles at Aston Villa, Republic of Ireland and Nottingham Forest, could bring back United's identity.
"I really don’t know if Erik ten Hag is the right man to bring glory days back to United because there has been too much inconsistency," he said.
"For me it’s of course about the results but more because of the playing style. There doesn’t seem to be an identity to his team.
"The best teams always have an identity no matter who they are playing or who is on the pitch.
"Losing to the big teams now and again is normal but the identity of Manchester United has been lost."
Topics: Manchester United, Roy Keane, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Football
Alex Brotherton