Gareth Southgate says he was "not entirely surprised" to see Roy Keane resign as manager of Sunderland, pointing to the pressures faced by young managers in the game.

Southgate, in his third season as manager of Middlesbrough, stressed that managing at Premier League level was now an all-consuming task.

"When your clubs are in such a close situation like we three clubs are in the north-east, you get a feel for what is going on at the other clubs," he said. "Football can be such a small world and you get a lot of feedback from what is happening elsewhere.

"So I was not entirely surprised to hear the news of Roy's departure, though I have to admit that I felt a lot of disappointment.

"Whenever you see young managers coming into the game you want them to succeed. But at the same time you know the pitfalls and the pressures that they face. It's a very tough environment and there is a lot of pressure to bring immediate success.

"I know that Roy is a fighter and I am well aware of what everybody at Sunderland is hoping to achieve. They are an ambitious club and they have worked hard to keep looking upwards over the last two years.

"Maybe the recent run of disappointing home results has had something to do with it. I don't know. Those results at the Stadium Of Light may have made things difficult. But I am disappointed to see Roy go and I wish him all the best in the future."

Arsene Wenger believes the game will miss Keane, who he described as a "passionate" manager, but backed the Irishman to soon return to football.

"It is a surprise, but I can understand that," Wenger said. "He is a passionate man, and I regret he leaves the job.

"When you are passionate, especially at the start of this career, you suffer immensely physically. Also because he is a passionate man, there is no other way for him to be in the job.

"When you are passionate about the game, you go out of it and then come back into it because there is no other way to be happy. That is why I believe he will be back."

Mark Hughes is convinced Keane will return to the game wiser and stronger.

"Roy is a young man and still has a great future in the game. Maybe he just needs that breathing space to refresh himself, take a step back and learn from the experience," Hughes said.

"He will have had his reasons for leaving Sunderland. He is a very forthright and straight guy. Once he makes a decision he sticks to his guns. That seems to be what has happened here. You just sensed he was going to consider his future and possibly walk away and that is what has happened."