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Topics: Roy Keane, Manchester United, Premier League, Football, Patrick Vieira, Alan Shearer
Tom Jenkins
Topics: Roy Keane, Manchester United, Premier League, Football, Patrick Vieira, Alan Shearer
Roy Keane has revealed which players were always 'in the back of his mind' whenever he played against them during his career.
Keane was notoriously a hot-head in his playing days and was sent off an English record of 13 times throughout his career which spanned 17 years.
Probably the most famous dismissal came in the Manchester derby, where Keane was shown red for a horror challenge on Alf-Inge Haaland which left the Norwegian sidelined with an injury.
Speaking in his book 'The Second Half', Keane spoke about his on-field relationship with Haaland and explained exactly what it was like to come up against him.
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"He was an absolute prick to play against. Niggling, sneaky. The incident took place in a match against City. But I'd played against him when he was at Leeds. The rivalry was massive between United and Leeds," he explained.
Keane also revealed Haaland wasn't the only rival player that got under his skin during matches.
"Was I going around for years thinking, I'm going to get him, I'm going to get him'? No. Was he at the back of my mind? Of course, he was. Like Rob Lee was, like David Batty was, like Alan Shearer was, like Dennis Wise was, like Patrick Vieira was. All these players were at the back of my mind. 'If I get a chance, I'm going to f**kin' hit you.'"
It's no surprise to see the likes of Patrick Viera and Alan Shearer on Keane's list following their rather public disagreements in the tunnel.
Despite Keane admitting he was out to leave a mark on some players, the Irishman stressed that it was just part of the game and there was a major difference between kicking and injuring someone.
"That's the game. I played in central midfield. I wasn't a little right-back or left-back, who can coast through his career without tackling anybody. Or a tricky winger who never gets injured. I played in the middle of the park. There's a difference between kicking somebody and injuring somebody. Any experienced player will tell you that," he explained.