When it comes to the greatest manager and captain pairings in Premier League history, few would disagree with Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane’s exploits at Manchester United.
Named United skipper in 1997, Keane lifted the league title on four occasions, the FA Cup twice and of course the Champions League in the treble year of 1999. But away from the glory on the pitch, the duo had their fair share of disagreements.
The Irishman’s career at Old Trafford came to an explosive end in November 2005 when escalating tensions between Keane and Fergie came to a head. Four months previous, Keane had taken issue with the quality of the pre-season camp in Portugal, before he admitted he would be prepared to play elsewhere.
The simmering tension reached a boiling point when Keane appeared on MUTV and took aim at United’s under performing stars and specifically named five players he felt were not good enough. That was the last straw for Fergie, who allowed him to cut short his contract in a disagreement which remains unresolved till this day.
Ferguson’s other major bone of contention was a perception that Keane was running the dressing room, effectively behind his back, having initially come into a squad full of huge, experienced personalities: “I went into a brilliant dressing room with great characters, huge expectations, huge pressure. But I loved United the day I walked in, I settled in quickly, it was a brilliant dressing room,” Keane explained on an appearance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football in 2019.
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And Keane admits that Fergie’s suspicions were indeed correct, but claims it wasn’t uncommon within the setup at Manchester United, that the senior figures amongst the playing staff would be the key drivers behind the scenes.
“We both loved winning, we both wanted the best for Man United, I know he was critical of me towards the end, almost saying I was running the dressing room…but I was,” he explained. “Senior players ran the dressing room, at club level managers are very rarely in the dressing room - at the training ground particularly.
“If you ask any of the senior players - when I was at Forest, Stuart Pearce, Des [Walker] would organise it. When I first went to Man United, Robbo [Bryan Robson], Brucey [Steve Bruce], Eric [Cantona], they’d be running it.
Keane continued: “Senior players ultimately run the dressing room and that role fell on me as I was getting older and I was playing more games. Giggsy [Ryan Giggs, Gary [Neville] would be there and we’d be discussing all sorts of things. And I’m talking trivial stuff like the players’ pool, Christmas functions, tickets for matches. That was all part of my role.
However, despite being one of the leaders both on the training ground and at Old Trafford, the former United skipper disputes the fact he ever took it too far: “I still don’t think I ever crossed that line with anybody where I felt I was more important than the other players.
“I was there to help people, to try and push people on. Did I make a few mistakes and get a few calls wrong? Probably, but I’d also like to think I got a few things right in terms of trying to help players, motivate them.”
