ROY KEANE said "welcome to reality" as he reacted to the row over Lee Carsley refusing to sing the national anthem.
England's new interim manager takes charge of his first game against the Republic of Ireland today.
Carsley was born in England but played for the Republic at international level.
And speaking ahead of the match, he revealed he would not be joining in with players and fans singing "God Save the King."
It sparked a row as critics pointed out that predecessor Gareth Southgate always belted out the anthem before matches.
But Carsley countered by revealing he never sang the Irish anthem before games as a player.
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And he also didn't sing "God Save the King" during his time as England U21s boss.
Ahead of today's match, Republic of Ireland legend Keane was asked whether his former teammate was right to have been called out for refusing to take part in the anthem.
But the Man United icon said that criticism will always come with the territory of being England boss, declaring: "Welcome to relaity of being manager of England."
Keane went on to sympathise with Carsley, adding on ITV: "It is unfair, of course it is. The priority it is to try and win football matches and that will take care of everything else.
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"He's come through the youth teams, this is senior and there's huge pressure. Huge demands.
"He played for Ireland, he never sung it with the U21s, it wasn't an issue then."
Fellow pundit Ian Wright chimed in: "For me it's a storm in a teacup. I really do feel for him in that respect.
"There's already pressure on him. The fact is you are going to be judges on the results.
"When you look at the chance he's got to get it, he's focused on the football side.
"As a football person he's probably trying to think about what he's doing, not realising it's a massive thing for other people."
Before kick-off, Carsley was also questioned about the reaction to his anthem rejection.
He said: "Like I said in the press conference, it's an immensely proud position for myself and my family.
"I'm really looking forward to the game, I've got respect for both teams. It's a proud moment I'm really looking forward to.
"I can't wait for the game now. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
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"As a player making my debut I was totally focused on the game. I found it (the anthem) difficult to get used to and spent that time concentrating and keeping focus.
"It hasn't changed since I've been coaching and hopefully that will be the case today."
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