Roy Keane has the ‘broad shoulders and mental toughness’ required to manage Manchester United, according to his former Old Trafford engine room colleague, Paul Ince. Ince, 47, a double-winner with Keane at United in 1994, on Thursday hailed the Irish assistant manager as ‘a leader of men.’ ‘I speak to Roy and he does want to get back in (to management) but at the right establishment, with the right project. Roy Keane is not a number two, Roy Keane is a leader of men,’ said Ince. Roy Keane has the ‘mental toughness’ required to manage Manchester United, says Paul Ince . Ince slides in for a tackle during United's game against Sheffield Wednesday in 1992 . ‘And if the right thing (job) comes along then I’m sure he will get back into it (management).’ Keane was last in charge at Ipswich over four years ago but even so Ince is convinced the 43-year-old will ‘be a top, top manager’ and could even return to the front-line at United. ‘To be Man United manager you need broad shoulders and take a lot of criticism. Roy has broad shoulders and he is mentally tough. Things don’t affect him,’ said Ince. ‘He has a poker face, doesn’t show if things are affecting him, and there is no reason why Roy couldn’t go back to Manchester United (as manager).’ ‘You cannot lose people like him from the game,’ warned Ince. ‘He knows so much about football, no matter what your cup of tea is. Ince is convinced Keane, who was last in charge of Ipswich four years ago, will ‘be a top, top manager’ ‘Some people love him, some people hate him. You always try to guess what Keanie’s like but he does not let people into his head.’ ‘He’s got a vast knowledge of football and he sets the highest standards. You don’t get the players anymore with Roy’s standards,’ he added. ‘You do hear people say “Roy rules by fear.” Maybe, that’s Roy and the way he is. Maybe, that’s how he feels he can be a success in what he does and he did it at Sunderland.’ ‘Roy Keane has an ego. We all had egos at Man United because that’s what made us who we were,’ he added. Ince rejected any suggestion that Ryan Giggs (left) might succeed Louis van Gaal as United boss . Ince rejected any suggestion that Ryan Giggs might succeed Louis Van Gaal at United. ‘No chance,’ he said. ‘You’ve got to go to a club that you can learn from and get experience. He’s not ready for Man United.’ Ince didn’t rule out Keane succeeding Martin O’Neill as Irish manager. ‘Maybe he (Keane) thinks that when Martin’s done, then he’s the next one to step up. That’s the logic I see in it,’ he said. ‘International football is hard because it’s once every month or two months. I think Keanie would like to be on the training ground every day,’ cautioned Ince.
Manchester United legends Paul Ince and Roy Keane were team-mates . Ince hails Keane as a 'leader of men'
Keane was last in charge at Ipswich over four years ago . Ince also rejects any suggestion Ryan Giggs might succeed Louis van Gaal . CLICK HERE for all the latest Manchester United news .