Daniel Sturridge’s Instant Reaction To Roy Keane’s Sir Alex Ferguson Insult

Daniel Sturridge had a priceless reaction to Roy Keane's Sir Alex Ferguson insult in another box office rant.

Former Manchester United captain Keane was on punditry duty for Arsenal's 0-0 draw with Liverpool on Thursday night but the situation at Old Trafford was also on the agenda following on from the dismissal of Ruben Amorim.

Amid disputes with the club's top brass over transfers and style of play, Amorim was sacked on Monday following a spiky press conference after 1-1 draw with Leeds United the day before.

He finished with a dismal win percentage of 38.1% in the Premier League.

Having been technical director and coach of the Under 18's, former United midfielder Darren Fletcher has been promoted to interim manager and took charge of the 2-2 draw with Burnley on Wednesday.

The former Scotland international said he asked for Ferguson's "blessing" prior to accepting the role.

And in a rant about United constantly changing managers, Keane reacted by saying his former boss is "hanging on like a bad smell".

• If you want to see even more from SPORTbible, make us a preferred source on Google.

The comment caught Sturridge off-guard, with the former Liverpool striker having to hold back laughter and covering his face to hide his smirk.

Keane proceeded to question the decision-making from United and INEOS and how they conduct their interviews and manager searches.

Daniel Sturridge trying to hold in the laugh after Roy Keane says Sir Alex Ferguson is still hanging around Man United like a bad smell😂😂😂
pic.twitter.com/CyOov3Hr60

— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) January 9, 2026

"What happens in these job interviews?" Keane asked on Sky Sports.

"I'm intrigued. Why do they keep giving certain people a job? What happens in the interview that they sit there and go, and 12, 14 months later, "he's not the guy for us."

"Do you not suss that out when you speak to them? You look somebody in the eye and go...

"You see who's making the decisions at Manchester United... you still have [Alex] Ferguson and David Gill [former chief executive] hanging on like a bad smell.

"Who's making the decisions? [Sir Jim] Ratcliffe, [Jason] Wilcox? Who's coming into this interview process, you're speaking to a manager, you get a feel for somebody and go 'he's the guy for us?'

"Almost forget the CV. You need something on your CV, of course, that you've won a trophy or managed a long time. But you've got to look somebody in the eye and go "are you the man to get us places?"

"What happens when somebody walks in your dressing room, the top players sit and go, 'what have you got for us?' That's what the top lads do. And if you haven't got the answers, the players are going to eat you alive."

Fletcher will lead the team for the visit of Brighton in the FA Cup on Sunday but United are still looking to bring in a caretaker manager, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick - two men who have had the role previously - the leading candidates.

Sky Sports say that it will likely be a choice between the two frontrunners, with further talks planned after delays due to the two having personal commitments this week.