A former Manchester United masseur who worked with the first-team for almost two decades has not spoken to Roy Keane for years after the ex-midfielder "lost his head" and "absolutely snapped" at him.
Rod Thornley, the younger brother of Class of '92 member Ben Thornley, worked as Manchester United's masseur between 2001 and 2019.
At the turn of the millennium, Thornley was a lifeguard at a local leisure centre when United invited him to work at the swimming pool in their newly-renovated Carrington training ground.
Within a month, he was asked to become a masseur.
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"I qualified within a year and in 2001, when I was on holiday with Gary Nev, my sister and my girlfriend, David Beckham called me and asked if I’d like to be a masseur for England, too," Thornley told The Athletic in 2023.
Thornley became close friends with a number of United players, including Wayne Rooney, but his relationship with Roy Keane was far from perfect.
In fact, according to Thornley, the former United captain never spoke to him again after Keane "absolutely snapped" in front of the team.
Speaking on The Busby Way Podcast this week, Thornley spoke about falling out with Keane.
"This is a big one for me," Thornley began. "I’m a late 70s kid, right? So I grew up a massive Man United fan in the 90s. Roy Keane was like an idol, a hero to me — an absolute hero. Brilliant footballer. I loved watching him.
"By chance, the year 2000 comes around and I get to work with him. I’m in the same dressing room as him. And I’m treating him quite often, actually. He’s on the bed quite often.
"What you can say about Roy Keane is, he is a funny bloke. He can be very, very funny. And very witty, which shows he’s super intelligent — like, he’s really intelligent.
"Saying that, I witnessed him bully people many a time, and he lost his head with me one day — absolutely snapped at me. He said a load of things to me in front of the team and, put it this way, the words he used, if he’d said them in a normal business, he’d be sacked tomorrow.
"You wouldn't be able to get away with it but he did. And we never spoke again."
"Roy Keane fell out with me over that," added Thornley. "And since then, he did a podcast on The Overlap about masseurs, and the whole thing — I knew straight away — was aimed at me. Because I know he doesn’t like me."
Back in 2024, Keane described masseurs in football as “cocky” and “useless”.
“They settle into the club then they think they’re running the show, have got the music on and the team wins something, and all the masseurs would be on the pitch – just relax lads," he said on The Overlap.
“They all get a bit cocky, every one of them. We’re having a night out, free bar, and then they’d come with all their mates – ‘you’re bringing your mates,’ relax!
“‘Are we getting medals?,’ no you’re not getting a medal, relax. Then they’d be wearing their headphones as if they were players, coming off the bus and you’re thinking, just relax, oh my god.
“‘Anyone selling their car?’ – they’d try and buy the players cars on the cheap, are you’re like lads relax. What happens to them, they become mates with them [players]."
Keane added: “They play golf with them and then they think they’re a coach, a manager, and best buddies with all the players and before you know it, they’re an agent, advising them.”
On his recent podcast appearance, Thornley mentioned Keane's comments about asking for a medal.
"I never asked for a medal in my life," said Thornley. "I was lucky enough that one season, I walked in and the club secretary pulled me into the office and said, 'Rod' and handed me a league winner’s medal.
"He said, 'That’s for your efforts last season. Thank you very much'."
Topics: Roy Keane, Man Utd, Premier League
Jack Kenmare