A long-time coach at Manchester United has revealed how Roy Keane's "aggressive" nature helped him from their very first meeting - even if the Corkman was a bit nervous about things.
Mick Clegg was power and conditioning coach at Old Trafford and Carrington from 2000 until 2012, working under Alex Ferguson and alongside greats of the game such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Denis Irwin and Wayne Rooney.
Of course, the great Irish midfielder was a major client of his as well - and he revealed that one of his first big tasks after joining United was helping their captain back from a major injury.
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Keane had suffered a torn cruciate ligament in the 1997-1997 season, returned in 1999 to lead United to the treble, but then suffered an ankle injury in the FA Cup final of 2000 that exacerbated previous issues.
Enter Clegg, who explained to Joe Molloy on Wednesday's Off the Ball how he managed to get a good relationship with Keane.
He said: "With a player like Roy, you have to always think about the aggressive nature he had. When you see that, you know you've got to channel these energies. By listening to him a lot and watching the way he was, I was able to give him exercises that empowered that type of character.
"The first thing he said to me in the canteen when we had our first brew was 'I've never done weights before'.
"And I said to him 'well, what do you think they would do? He said 'I'm not sure. Some people say yeah, some say no - but I'm willing to have a look!"
Clegg was a big fan of using boxing in power training, and it was something that Keane was keen about.
He explained: "I showed him some other stuff he could do and he was open to trying a lot of things. He strengthened his body and also his resolve.
"His boxing technique was very good, he'd been taught by someone who knows the game, I think it was his brother. I just picked little things to have a stab at it and see what reaction I'd get."
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