Roy Keane's career move and Gary Neville's role change: How Sky Sports could look in 5 years

Sky Sports' footballing punditry team could look vastly different in five years' time thanks to recent admissions from Roy Keane and Gary Neville

Football fans may have to prepare themselves for a Sky Sports team without Roy Keane and with limited appearances from Gary Neville in few years' time.

The Manchester United icons have played a starring role for the broadcaster for more than a decade but their time as the faces of football for Sky Sports could be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

Keane already made waves regarding his future earlier this year in August when he expressed his intention to retire from punditry within the next decade.

The Irishman's admission was compounded by news of Neville's desire to roll back his Monday Night Football duties in order to pursue new interests.

Keane later added to his punditry confession when he revealed to Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright and Gary Neville on a recent episode of The Overlap that he's considering moving abroad in the near future.

"In the next couple of years, I reckon I will be moving abroad... putting it out there," the 53-year-old told the trio in the On Tour episode in Turin. When Carragher asked about his possible country of choice, Keane replied: "Do you know what, Switzerland, maybe? Switzerland is beautiful."

The ex-Red Devils captain explained his reasoning behind calling time on his punditry career as he said: "I love football, but the hassle of matches, getting to games, and the hassle of fans. I was in court a few months ago with somebody headbutting me do you think I enjoy that side of it? Absolutely not.

"The games are fine. Getting to the games, parking up, people shouting your name good stuff, bad stuff it's a nuisance. Being a pundit in 10 years, not."

While Neville has stopped short of putting an definitive end to his punditry career, fans will need to tune into his appearances on The Overlap US and NBC Sports' coverage of the Premier League to watch more of him.

While the 49-year-old is continuing to step back from his MNF hosting duties, he will remain a major aspect of Sky's football team, appearing on Friday Night Football, Saturday Night Football and Super Sunday broadcasts.

With the progression of Neville's projects, viewers could be in for a new-look team on Sky Sports in the next few years with the likes of Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge potentially poised to take major roles.

Richards has formed a unlikely bromance with Keane during their appearances together on Sky and has become one of the sport's go-to pundits across platforms. Since joining the broadcaster in 2023, Sturridge has impressed with his insights, especially when it comes to analysing a striker, given his prowess during his playing days

Like Richards, the ex-Liverpool star has bundles of energy and has brought a new approach to punditry, previously admitting to "bringing a vibe" when he's in the studio.

Another face that fans could get familiar with in the coming years is that of Arsenal legend Theo Walcott. The former England winger recently clinched a regular role on Match of the Day following the departure of veteran Ian Wright.

Having already appeared on Sky numerous times this season, the 35-year-old discussed his style of punditry, admitting that he won't shy away from saying the truth. "I like to look at players in my position, that’s where I can give my expertise," he said. "A bit like Joe Hart on goalkeeping. I’ll say my opinion but I’m not scared of offending anyone."

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Watch the Premier League

Watch all the action of the 2023/2024 Premier League season
Get Sky Sports for £22 a month

The new football season is upon us and with 500 live games to watch, as well access to Cricket, Golf, F1, Boxing, NFL and the NBA across eight dedicated channels, Sky Sports is the only way to watch all the action.

Sky
Get it here

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.