Roy Keane admits he will be haunted for the rest of his life by the low points in his career.

The 36-year-old Sunderland boss suffered mercifully few disasters during his distinguished playing days, so Saturday’s 7-1 hammering at Everton is certain to make a lasting impression.

Keane, whose side faces Derby County in a crucial encounter at the wrong end of the Barclays Premier League table tomorrow, said: “You get flashbacks all the time.

“I look back on my career and probably there were five or six major setbacks I had, and not a day goes by when they do not come back into my head.

“That will happen until the day I die - and last weekend is certainly one of them, and rightly so. It is always the setbacks you remember, unfortunately, it is never the good times.”

Keane was involved in a series of high-profile disappointments and incidents during his playing career, including his infamous bust-ups with Mick McCarthy, then the Ireland manager, and Manchester City’s Alf-Inge Haaland.

However, he smiled when asked about the particular memories which come flooding back.

He said: “Let’s not go there and open a can of worms. I’d forgotten about them until you asked me.

“There were different setbacks - sendings-off, injuries, whatever, club situations, country situations - there would be five or six things that would always stick in your mind.

“You would hope to keep that list fairly short, but last weekend has added another one.

“But it’s all about how you react and I have seen other people in different sports and top people react in a positive way and get back to winning ways, and that’s what we have got to do on Saturday.”