Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane would "fight" with one of his teammates on a daily basis, according to Phil Neville, who once claimed that the Irishman "hated" his brother Gary.
Keane, who will go down as one of the Premier League's greatest leaders, played alongside the Bury-born brothers for the majority of his 12-year spell at Old Trafford.
In fact, the former Republic of Ireland captain shared the same pitch as Gary on 324 occasions between 1994 and 2005, according to stats website Transfermarkt, which suggests Keane played 240 games alongside Phil.
From the famous treble-winning campaign in 1998/99 to their continued dominance in England's top flight, the trio were heavily involved in that success.
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However, the relationship between Keane and the older Neville brother was far from straightforward, according to Phil, who claims Keane saw him as "the nice one" as he clashed with brother Gary.
Speaking on The Greatest Game podcast with Jamie Carragher, Neville opened up on his relationship with Keane.
“Do you know what? I think he had a soft spot for me,” he said. “He actually turned up to my wedding, and he would never turn up to anyone else’s wedding. He turned up to mine and had a good time – and his kids went to school with my kids."
Neville added: “Every time I see him now, I think ‘he has a little bit of a soft spot for me.’ I think because he hated Gary [Neville] so much – he used to fight with Gary every day – he saw me as the nice one.”
Since hanging up their boots, Neville and Keane have become close friends, regularly appearing together as pundits on Sky Sports and The Overlap.
Phil, meanwhile, has frequently spoken of his admiration for Keane. Speaking to Off The Ball, the former England international described him as "the greatest captain I ever played for and the person that I learned most from in my career in terms of standards that you’ve got to keep".
Neville added: “You remember certain things that he used to demand of you when I became captain of Everton. You had this thing in your head, ‘What would Roy say now?’”
Neville also suggested that Keane is one of the most underrated players of his generation.
"As a player, I don't think people realise how good a player he was," he added. "People say he was tough, he was aggressive. He was a brilliant passer of the ball, he was as brave as a lion in terms of getting on the ball.
"He used to always say if I was at left back or right back, 'If you're having trouble and I've got men round me, just give me the ball I'll get you out of trouble'. And you can trust him with your life.
"He was brilliant in the last couple of years when I stepped into midfield and played alongside him. You just felt safe with him being in your team. I don't think I've seen anyone close to that kind of level of leadership that Roy gave that United team over a four or five year period."
Topics: Man Utd, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Premier League
Jack Kenmare