Kieran Richardson says he owes his great form this season to former Sunderland boss Roy Keane.

Richardson said: "Soon after moving to Sunderland from United, I fractured my spine and I wasn't really myself when I returned.

"I was much weightier. I'd been out for eight months with a spinal injury, I had a harness around me and couldn't really move at all. It was the first time I had ever been injured and mentally I found it difficult.

"And at the end of last season, Roy Keane told me he wanted more from me. The talk he gave me inspired me so much - I came back slim, trim and ripped up!

"And everything has continued since then. It was a kick up the backside, most definitely. He said: 'You are not fulfilling your potential, you have so much more to give'. It was what I needed, he gave it to me and it made me hungrier. When Roy Keane talks, you listen.

"I want to thank him, because if it wasn't for that talk my career might have gone off the rails. He said I wasn't performing, that I wasn't fit enough. He said he knew what I could do and that's why he brought me here and that I wasn't doing it.

"He was my captain at United and then he brought me to Sunderland. I didn't know how big the club was and the initial attraction was very much Roy Keane. He's got a massive presence, he was a great player and was a very good manager for Sunderland. He got the club promoted to the Premier League after they were bottom when he arrived and he sustained us in the Premier League. So he hasn't done anything wrong.

"We'd heard one or two reports but I thought 'no, he wouldn't leave'. I was surprised but these things happen. I'm sure he'll get another job soon. A lot of these players came to Sunderland because of Roy Keane and the vibe in the dressing room was that everyone was upset.

"I've always had strong characters as managers - Alex Ferguson, Roy Keane and Bryan Robson when I was at West Brom - but they've all been great for me, I've always felt that their doors have been open."