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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Told Roy Keane To ‘F*** Off’ During Manchester United Training Row

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Told Roy Keane To ‘F*** Off’ During Manchester United Training Row

Man United manager on the "fights" he had with his then captain.

Alex Reid

Alex Reid

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted that he "had some fights" with Roy Keane during Manchester United training sessions and once told his then captain to "eff off".

And yet Solskjaer is alive and well to recall it? Astonishing. The truth is that the Norwegian explained that standing up and firing back at Keane was - in his eyes - the only way to get the fiery Irish midfielder's respect.

Asked by football magazine FourFourTwo if he ever pis**d off Keane during their playing days together, the current Manchester United manager answered strongly in the affirmative.

"Many times!" said Solskjaer. "Me and Roy are good friends - we speak a lot.

"But we did have some fights, if you can call them that. I ended up telling him to eff off, because the only way he could respect you was if you stood up for yourself."

Solskjaer is still one of the ex-teammates that Keane respects and he's defended the Man United manager on several occasions, whereas others in the game rarely get much leeway from the lashing tongue of the former United skipper.

Apparently slotting a new signing in with Keane at training was part of the initiation process at United when Solskjaer arrived in 1996, so players could develop the mental toughness to play for the club.

"There was one period of four or five weeks when I was in Roy's team every single day in training and he shouted and shouted, because he demands 100% from the ones he believes in," said Solskjaer.

"So I went up to [assistant coach] Steve McClaren and said: 'F***ing hell, Steve, I'm in the same team every day.'

"He said: 'Oh, you've noticed! It's a mental development for you to stand up for yourself against Roy. You have done, so you've passed.'"

Doesn't sound like the kind of scrutiny we'd enjoy. But it clearly worked for Solskjaer as the coach has since said that if he could sign a modern version of any of his 1999-era Manchester United teammates, he'd take Keane due to the high standards he set his fellow players.

Solskjaer has even asked Keane to come in and talk to his squad in the past, although we cannot confirm whether Fred has ever told Roy to "f*** off" and earned respect for it, as his current manager once did.

All imagery: PA Images/Sky Sports

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Topics: Manchester United, Premier League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Roy Keane