Manchester United officials intervened to prevent a potentially awkward on-screen encounter between new head coach Michael Carrick and Roy Keane prior to Saturday's Manchester derby.
Sky Sports had requested that Carrick appear for a pre-match interview directly from the studio, which would have placed him face-to-face with Keane just days after the pundit made critical remarks about Carrick's wife.
The broadcaster still secured their interview, though it took place in the tunnel with Gary Neville asking the questions rather than in the studio setting, the Daily Mail reported.
The decision came following the controversy sparked by Keane's comments on the Overlap podcast.
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During his appearance on the Overlap, Keane described Lisa Carrick as having "a big mouth," a remark seemingly triggered by a social media post she had written and later deleted back in 2014.
The original post came after Keane criticised her husband's uninspired interview following United's Champions League loss to Olympiakos twelve years ago.
Lisa Carrick had written at the time: "Roy Keane what a **** will say anything to provoke a reaction."
Manchester United officials intervened to prevent a potentially awkward on-screen encounter between new head coach Michael Carrick and Roy Keane prior to Saturday's Manchester derby
|PA
Despite her swift deletion of the message, Keane clearly recalled it, stating last week after Carrick's appointment: "His wife can always come in (if Carrick doesn't do well), cause she's got a bit of a big mouth sometimes.
"She's probably doing the team talk."
Carrick's tenure at Old Trafford began in impressive fashion, with his side delivering a dominant 2-0 triumph against Manchester City that could easily have yielded a larger margin of victory.
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The former midfielder has taken charge on a temporary basis through to the end of the current campaign.
However, there is already growing speculation that he could land the role permanently if he manages to bring stability to the club and guide them into next season's Champions League.
United have previously gone down this route, appointing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager before parting ways with him following nearly three years in the position.
Keane has been vocal in his criticism of United's tendency to appoint former players to key positions, while also raising questions about the experience levels within the current coaching setup.
The addition of Jonny Evans to the backroom staff drew particular scrutiny from the former captain.
Keane remarked: "Jonny Evans left Man United about four, five, six weeks ago right?
Bryan Mbeumo gave Man Utd lift-off in their 2-0 derby day win over Man City on Saturday
| PA"He left in the summer as a player and they gave him a job as a loans manager.
"Leaves a month or two ago, had enough of that - not 10 years doing it, a few months."
He added: "My issue with Jonny, he's got no coaching. It's not like he's worked with the academy for a few years."
Meanwhile, United beat City 2-0 to give Carrick a dream start to life in the dugout.
Bryan Mbeumo netted in the 65th minute, while Patrick Dorgu doubling their advantage.
Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo and Mason Mount all saw goals chalked for offside.