Roy Keane has recalled the moment when Kenny Dalglish was left "fuming" after the Irishman rejected Blackburn Rovers to join Manchester United in the summer of 1993.
The then-Nottingham Forest midfielder was one of the most sought-after players in the top flight, having impressed for the Reds in the first-ever Premier League season. Although Forest were relegated to the second tier in the 1992/93 season, Keane was their standout player and attracted interest from the likes of Blackburn and United.
It was inevitable that he was going to move and Dalglish thought he had persuaded Keane to move to Rovers after they finished fourth in the previous campaign. But a late call from Sir Alex Ferguson saw him join the champions instead following positive talks with the Scotsman and Forest boss Frank Clark.
"I agreed a deal and shook hands with him [Daglish]," the midfield man later recalled. "I went back to Cork and on the Sunday morning woke up and I got a phone call from Sir Alex to my house back in Cork and he said will you come and meet with me for talks tomorrow. I said look, I shook hands with Blackburn and he said don't worry about that! Kenny was fuming!"
Ferguson was determined not to miss out on a player of Keane's ability after he scored 33 goals in 154 appearances for Forest. United confirmed the arrival of Keane £3.75million, which was a British record transfer fee at the time.
"I can't afford to lose this player," Ferguson told Forest boss Frank Clark, who replaced the legendary Clough at the end of the season. "You know how much I have wanted him for ages."
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Keane was United's only first-team signing that summer as the Red Devils blasted their budget on the talented midfielder - and it was a move that firmly paid off. The now-Sky Sports pundit is a legend at the Red Devils, having won multiple trophies, including a Champions League in 1999 and seven Premier League titles.
"We had to sign Roy Keane," recalled Sir Alex. "It was absolutely vital for the club's future."
Having made over 450 appearances for the club, Keane left in 2005 to join Celtic, where he ended his professional career before moving into management. Keane started his managerial career at Sunderland, where he guided them to promotion to the Premier League in his first season at the Black Cats.
However, Keane lasted just another two years in the North East and resigned in 2009 after he had disagreements with owner Ellis Short and Niall Quinn. Keane didn't take long before jumping back into management at Championship side Ipswich, where he enjoyed some success in the second tier.
Keane also spent some time coaching at Aston Villa, Forest and with the Republic of Ireland national team, before deciding to move into the punditry world with Sky Sports.
