Keane cut short wait to join Black Cats
New Sunderland boss Roy Keane on Tuesday admitted he had intended to wait longer before stepping into the world of football management.
Former Manchester United captain Keane took over the Black Cats following their victory against West Brom yesterday which lifted the side off the bottom of the Coca-Cola Championship.
And the former Republic of Ireland skipper told a press conference televised by Sky Sports News: "It's been a very hectic few days, I'm absolutely knackered already. I got back from my holiday on Saturday, came up to meet Niall and the staff and players on Sunday and went to the game on Monday."
He added: "I met the players again this morning on the training pitch. It's been very tiring but enjoyable, I'll be glad to get back onto the training pitch and get on with the work ahead.
"Three months ago I spoke with the owners and Niall but my priority at that time was to start working on getting my coaching badge in July and August.
"In that time they didn't get a manager. They came back in last Monday when I was in Portugal and initially I thought I was going to wait longer. But I thought 'what am I waiting for, the challenge is there'.
"Sunderland is a big club, with a beautiful stadium, a big fan base and I thought 'why not?'"
