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Interview: The 'Voice of Old Trafford' on all things Manchester United in 2024

Manchester United legend Alan Keegan sat down with the Irish Post this month for a chat about his Irish upbringing and how he landed one of the most unique jobs in football.

Keegan, known as "The Voice of Old Trafford," has been working as the club's official stadium announcer for 25 years and has become a voice that every Manchester United fan will recognise as they sit in the stadium throughout the years.

From announcing Ronaldo's return, Amad Diallo's winner, and many other special events at the club, the announcer has done it all.

In the second part of the interview, we got Alan's thoughts on the current Manchester United squad, Old Trafford's impending stadium move, rebuild, Alex Ferguson, and everything else.

Here it is:

Irish Post: Did you meet Alex Ferguson much when you were at the club? What was your relationship with him like?

Alan Keegan: "I was always respectful of his position, and I wouldn't try to put myself in front of him. I suppose over the first two or three years, I'd hoped I'd earned his trust, and by the end of his tenure, I certainly did.

"During his last few years, I was doing events with him, so it was brilliant. I've got some great pictures of him when he was on the pitch when we won the league, and I was announcing it. I had a great relationship with him. He's such an amazing character, and he still is. He's got an aura when he walks into a room, and people respond in a different way to him."

Irish Post: Did you ever receive the hairdryer treatment from him?

Alan Keegan: "No, I never got the hairdryer treatment from him, but I've got some great stories while standing on the side of the pitch, and I don't know if you know that the dugout beside his area was there back in the day. However, that changed when Erik Ten Hag came in.

"So, I am standing there, and you see different things with Sir Alex and the way that he worked, and I went down to the side of the pitch and did the announcements, and he would go down to the technical area, and on these occasions, Gary Neville wasn't having the best of games. He was giving the ball away; you know the story.

"Sir Alex goes over and starts gesticulating at him, telling him "to do and do that," waving his arms.

"I saw something, and I couldn't believe it. Neville stuck two fingers at Sir Alex while on the pitch, and I turned to the rest of the guys and said, "Did you see that?" and they just started laughing and said, "Yeah."

"I thought Fergie was dead calm when this happened. I thought, "I can't believe he's not reacted," and, you know, anyway, he's come back to the dugout, and I'm thinking, "What's going on here?"

"Anyway, Sir Alex made his point in the next three games. Gary Neville was on the bench, and Sir Alex made his point. He just had that way about him."

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Irish Post: What's your take on the Old Trafford move/refurbishment news being the stadium announcer?

Alan Keegan: "Well, my take on it is this. United have always led the way, and if you look at the years under which Sir Alex was the manager and David Gill was the CEO, we were always expanding the ground and leading the way.

"Unfortunately, we have fallen behind. The ground isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Yes, there are leaks in the roof, but when the stadium is full and there's a roar from the crowd, it's amazing.

"For me, when you look at other grounds around the UK and see Wembley and Spurs, they have set the bar, haven't they? On a matchday, Spurs are the club with the highest matchday revenue. They overtake City, Liverpool, and United.

"I think Manchester United should rebuild, and it's good that it's only next door. It's not like what City did when they moved to another part of Manchester. We are moving 250 metres to the side.

"I am all for the rebuild, and the majority of fans are, and I'd like to see Old Trafford used for the women's game, the U21's, or whatever else it could be.

"Personally, I am all for rebuilding, and as Sir Jim says, "The Wembley of the North."

Irish Post: What have you made of Sir Jim's brief time at the club so far? Are you more optimistic about the future?

Alan Keegan: "I think so; it's fantastic. He's obviously a great businessman. He's come in, and let's be honest, he's not come in without the idea of a full sale or having some sort of say in where United are going to go.

"He's come in and said he wants "the best in class," and I think with the right appointments like Omar Berrada from City, this is a massive statement.

"I did like his term "best in class" because that's what United have always been about. It's not for the sake of trying over the years. I think Sir Jim has come in so far with positive steps, and I think we are going in the right direction.

"Ultimately, it will come down to what's on the field."

Irish Post: What direction do you think United will go now under Sir Jim? Will it be more youthful signings, or is there another direction they'll take, in your opinion?

Alan Keegan: "I think we have tried the older method, and I don't think it really works for Falcao and people like that.

"I like the way United has tried to work in the past. The fans would accept going for younger players because their club has always been about youth. You look at the Busby babes, the Fergie fledglings, and Ten Hag now. You obviously need experience in there, and I won't do the Alan Hansen quote, "You don't win anything with kids."

"You look at Rasmus Højlund now, and if you bring in another number 9 to complement him, that would be fine. The likes of Kobbie Mainoo too; you're seeing how good he is now. He's made his debut for England and didn't let anyone down.

"I think we have the nucleus of Alejandro Garnacho, Mainoo, and Højlund, which is brilliant and if that gets more experience, fans will accept that. If the United fans see it, they'll be happy."

Credit: Alan Keegan.com

Irish Post: What's your take on Kobbie Mainoo's season?

Alan Keegan: "I'll tell you a story about him. I was introducing him when he was presented with the Young Player of the Year award at Manchester United. We were waiting in the tunnel. He was a great lad, Manchester-born and bred. I was tempted to say his name, but I asked him, "How do you say your name? Is it Kobbie" (spelled like Robbie)? He said, "Kobbie (spelled like cob)." I then replied, "Oh, right, like the cob you eat." He said, "Yeah," and started laughing.

"I then asked him, "How do you say your second name? Is it like the month of May?" He then said, "Yeah."

"It's funny; I interviewed his brother during lockdown, who was on Love Island. He told me to look out for his brother, who was making good progress at Manchester United.

"So, I started to look out for him, and I just thought when I saw him play at Old Trafford, this kid is amazing, and the word always was that's why Manchester United didn't sign a midfielder in the summer because we knew about him.

"I'll tell you what's wonderful. I was at the Everton game when he made his debut. I thought he just strolled around with a cigar in his mouth and surely thought, 'This kid isn't this good; how old is he?" He is outstanding."

Irish Post: What's your take on the Erik ten Hag in and out rumours?

Alan Keegan: "I think he's done an amazing job. Football fans are very fickle. They want instant success. You have to look at Sir Alex and what he changed.

"I'm not privy to any information, but he's had difficult times and situations to deal with. His remit was to get us into the top four; he's got us to two cup finals, one won, and is in contention for another one this year.

"He's overachieved last season. The talk of going for the league this season was stupid. It was never going to happen.

'I know a lot of clubs can say it, but Manchester United have had a bad time with injuries this year. You're going to struggle.

"I don't know if anyone can come in and do what he's done. The likes of Gareth Southgate are not for me; I'd leave Ten Hag there till 2025."

Irish Post: What's he like on a personal level?

Alan Keegan: "He's a brilliant guy. I was very fortunate that I got to speak to him on his very first day. I'll tell you what happened.

"On his first day, he came in and was doing his media stuff. On that first day, we had what we called "end-of-season pitch days." It's for all the sponsors, and they have access to the pitch. So, Teamviewer has access to the pitch.

"In the morning, they were up in a suite in the Bobby Charlton stand, having a conference with different guests from around the world. We are up in the room, and I see Ten Hag on the pitch. John Murtough is with him, showing him the dugout. All of a sudden, he makes his way into the stand, where we are. I'm thinking, 'There's nothing arranged here; why's he coming up?"

"All of a sudden, he walks into the room. There's a guy on the stage speaking, and everyone's taking back. I said to John Murtough, "Should I give him the mic?" I did, and I said, "Hello Erik, welcome to Old Trafford," and I gave him the mic.

"He jumps on the stage and goes, "Hello everybody, I hope you are enjoying your day. I am enjoying my day, and good luck for the rest of the day."

"He got a massive round of applause."

Irish Post: How do you see the Liverpool United rematch going this Sunday?

Alan Keegan: "I think the atmosphere is always 100% when we play Liverpool. We don't need life. We are always up for it. Let's be honest, it could be argued that Liverpool should have won the cup game, but they didn't.

"So, if you asked me a couple of months ago, I'd be a lot more concerned. I think it's got a draw written all over it. I don't think it will be four or five batterings like last year."

Irish Post: How did it feel to announce Amad Diallo's winner against Liverpool last time out?

Alan Keegan: "Honestly, I have to control myself on the dugout and I was waving my hands and going in hysterics. It was just an amazing feeling and to announce the goal was fantastic. That's why I have the best job in the world."

Alan Keegan is a proud ambassador of St. Anne's hospice. A hospice in Greater Manchester that provides specialist palliative care for people with cancer and non-cancer life-limiting illnesses at all stages of their illness.

Follow the writer on @ConorDunIP on X

Manchester United's Alan Keegan