World Cup rival pundits working together to try end Roy Keane’s feud with Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer has revealed that two rival pundits have both attempted to resolve his long-lasting feud with Roy Keane.

The Newcastle United legend has always had an acrimonious relationship with the outspoken Irishman, which stems from their fierce sporting rivalry during their playing days.

Keane was a key part of the Man United side that dominated English football during the 1990s, with Shearer part of the Blackburn Rovers side that beat them to the Premier League title in 1995.

Shearer then joined boyhood club Newcastle, who themselves challenged Sir Alex Ferguson's side for domestic honours, including both the 1997 Premier League title race and the 1999 FA Cup final.

There was also an infamous incident between the pair in 2001, during the final minute of Newcastle's 4-3 home win over United at St. James' Park.

Keane threw the ball at Shearer's head after the Newcastle striker had blocked a quick throw-in, and the Irishman retaliated by shoving his opponent and attempting to slap him in the face, before he knocked the yellow card out of the hands of referee Steve Bennett.

The United captain was subsequently sent off to the delight of the raucous home crowd, as Gary Neville and David Beckham attempted to defuse the situation and drag him away from his opponent before things got even worse.

It is perhaps no surprise, then, that 25 years on, Shearer and Keane still don't exactly get along. “Me and Keane have never had the best relationship," he said during a Q&A with Dion Dublin in New York earlier this week.

“I don’t know him. But what I would say, two of my best pals in football, Micah Richards and Ian Wright, both tell me he’s a great guy.

"I just went head-to-head with him on a pitch. He didn’t like me, and I didn’t like him.

“But I don’t mind that. You’re not meant to like your opponents. You’re meant to go up against each other.”

It seems highly unlikely, then, that they will put their differences aside after a quarter of a century. Keane is working alongside former Arsenal and England striker Wright for ITV at the World Cup this summer, while Shearer and Richards are both part of the BBC coverage for the tournament.

Having previously been asked about the altercation, Keane played down the severity of the issue. He recalled: "I lost my temper, we were losing 4-3, I think, in the last minute. If you're going to get sent off, the worst thing is, I pushed him. If you're going to get sent off you might as well punch him properly because you're going to get the same punishment.

"You might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. That's what I was thinking afterwards. It was just a push. It was ridiculous."