Sunderland manager Roy Keane admits he cannot wait to pitch himself into battle with the best managers in the country.

The 35-year-old will be rubbing shoulders with his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and twice Champions League finalist Rafael Benitez next season after dragging his Sunderland side back into the top flight in his first season at the helm.

That in itself has been a major achievement for a man who was intent on taking a break from football last summer, although he is not about to rest on his laurels.

Keane said: "The reason I became a manager was I want to be a top manager, and if you are going to do that you have got to be challenging yourself against the top managers out there.

"I am looking forward to coming up against all the managers in the Premiership, it should be exciting.

"I have enjoyed my experience in the Championship. The other managers have been different class and there are a lot of good footballing people in the Championship.

"But ultimately, Sunderland belong in the Premiership — that's where we are and that's where we want to stay."

Followers of Keane's playing career should not be surprised by his hunger for success, and that will result in a tangible reward tomorrow if Sunderland manage to leapfrog Birmingham and claim the Coca-Cola Championship trophy.

But he knows the hard work has only just begun and is currently assessing what he needs to do in the transfer market this summer, armed with a £25million kitty, to prosper in the Premiership.

He said: "The Premiership next year is a different animal for us. Our players have done fantastically well, but we know we need to improve and strengthen the squad.

"The way we have played over the last couple of months, we have played a lot of games where we have literally had to win and we have played very open football.

"But we know know if we go with that gung-ho attitude, let me tell you, you get punished in the Premiership a lot more than you would in the Championship.

"That is part of my job, that is the exciting part now we are in the
Premiership."

Keane is targeting players he believes will excite the club's fans — he also hopes to speak to Ferguson about retaining the services of defenders Jonny Evans and Danny Simpson, who have been hugely impressive in loan spells from Manchester United, but only after the season has ended — and is confident the club has the pulling power to attract them.

However, he wants a response from his current squad to his recruitment plans.

He said: "What a great challenge for the players. It is like anything else, I hope when they see me bringing in one or two players over the summer, they see that as a challenge.

"I always did as a player. If we brought one or two midfielders in, I thought, 'bring it on'.

"Hopefully the players will be thinking exactly the same because it is a challenge for everyone at the football club.

"It is a challenge for me coming up against brilliant managers with great experience, a challenge for my coaching staff, the medical staff.

"Everyone has got to raise the bar and the ones who do not raise the bar — and there will be one or two who will be slipping from their comfort zone — they are the ones who will not be here."