Roy Keane names the one Man Utd player who 'stopped listening' to Sir Alex Ferguson and may regret it now

Roy Keane has named the one Manchester United player who began 'not listening' to Sir Alex Ferguson towards the end of his time at Old Trafford.

Ferguson, of course, built his success from being a fierce disciplinarian at United, and wasn't afraid to dish out the hairdryer treatment on a regular basis to even his top stars.

That approach did come at a cost in some cases, causing high-profile fallouts between the Scottish boss and the likes of Keane and David Beckham.

But throughout his near 27 years at United, Ferguson stayed true to his own values - evidenced by the 38 trophies he won during that time.

One of the first players who graduated through the club's academy during Ferguson's time at the club was winger Lee Sharpe, who made his professional debut in 1988 - 18 months on from the Scot's appointment.

He went on to win 10 trophies for United, scoring 21 goals in 193 appearances, but began to be phased out of the lineup upon the emergence of Beckham and Ryan Giggs.

And speaking on the latest episode of The Overlap's 'Stick to Football', Keane explained how he felt Sharpe could have done more with his career.

He explained: "Lee Sharpe was quite laid back, but he was a good guy.

"Maybe he would be the first to admit that he had little success in his career but could have done more if he tried harder.

"I think he would be honest enough to say that, because he was so laid back and had the manager on his case all the time, but then he went up to Leeds and got a bad injury.

"I think overall, Sharpie would admit that he could have done more in his career, but he didn't have that real hunger and desire to maintain a high standard over a long period of time.

"I remember seeing an interview recently with Lee Sharpe, and he really loved his football and off the field he had fun as well, especially with his dancing, but he said towards the end of his time at Manchester United, when Sir Alex Ferguson was having a go at him, he said that he just stopped listening."

Roy Keane was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.

Topics: Roy Keane, Manchester United, Premier League, Football

Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.