Dwight Yorke is surprised that Roy Keane is not a manager at a top club at this stage of his career.
The Trinidad and Tobago star played with Keane for four seasons at Manchester United and under him for two and a half years when the Cork man was in charge at Sunderland.
Speaking on MUTV's Group Chat, Yorke explained how Keane convinced him to swap Australia for the north east of England, despite the former Republic of Ireland captain thinking he was in America rather than Down Under.
“I went to the A-League to be their marquee player and then after one year I got a call and straight away I recognised the voice,” the 48-year-old recalled.
“I knew he had the job at Sunderland and straight away I said: ‘Skip, what are you doing calling me?’ He said: ‘How’s America? I want you to come and play at Sunderland.’ America! He thought I was in America!
“But he convinced me to come back and sign for Sunderland, and to get them their promotion into the Premier League. I relished that opportunity. I jumped on the first plane back.”
Yorke added that Keane "has all the ingredients" to be a top boss.
He said: “From a manager’s point of view, I have to say about Keano, I think he has all the ingredients.
“When he took the job he had the respect of all the players. He had the character to be a manager, and the respect. He has everything you want in a manager. Then in his first year he was very successful and got us promoted.
“For me, when I look back, I think that Keano should be in a big managerial position today, i.e. someone like Manchester United.“
