Boss shocked by Keane exit Sir Alex Ferguson has expressed his dismay at the shock resignation of Roy Keane from the Sunderland manager's post. The former Reds midfielder stood down on Thursday, just two days before he was due to bring his struggling Black Cats side to Old Trafford, and his former manager is unsure what the future holds for the enigmatic Irishman. "Sunderland without Roy is a surprise and a pity," Sir Alex told his pre-match press conference. "We just wish Roy well because he was a great player here. It's difficult to say whether he'll be back or not, he's an incredible controversial character. He was controversial, even as a player he was exactly that, but a fantastic player. "Very few managers last more than three or four years with a club nowadays. It’s getting shorter and shorter, the lifespan of a manager with a club. The can move on to other clubs of course, with different challenges, but it’s a very precarious industry." The fact remains that United must still rise above the unexpected change in circumstances, and Sir Alex is confident of building on last weekend's Manchester derby win. "I don’t know what to expect," he said. "I do expect my team to show the concentration and focus they had last Sunday. That was Manchester United back, I’m sure of that. "Last Sunday I was forthright about our performances in the first half and second half of games this season. First half performances have been magnificent, but losing focus has certainly happened. Certainly at Everton we threw two points away. We couldn’t go on that way, we had to win last Sunday and thankfully we did."