Wayne Rooney has reflected on the angriest he'd seen Sir Alex Ferguson during his 13-year spell at Old Trafford - and it involved a "crazy" moment with former captain Roy Keane.
Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer, who scored 156 goals in 322 games for the club, was a guest on the 'Tony Bellew is Angry' podcast on BBC Sounds this week when he spoke about the incident.
When asked if Ferguson famously kicking a boot at David Beckham in the dressing was the angriest he had seen his manager, Rooney recalled: "No, that was just before me," he said.
Advert
"So when Roy Keane left the club, I think it's well known there was a meeting. I can't say the details of what happened in the meeting... Roy had obviously had a go at some of the players on the club's TV channel and then Fergie wasn't happy, so he called a meeting.
"Roy Keane said let's all watch it together, so we all went into Alex Ferguson's office - the coaches, Alex and the whole squad. I was 18 or 19 [years old] at the time. We've all watched, and Roy asked if any of the players had a problem, so everyone said no.
"To be fair, it wasn't that bad; I think it was obviously a problem with Roy and the manager in the past. So, anyway, it's got into an argument, and a few different things got said, and I see Alex Ferguson jump over his desk, and I'm thinking 'wow, this is crazy'. He jumped over the desk, he's getting held back ... it got calmed down.
"Anyway the next day Roy Keane's come into training, and then about 30 minutes later we've seen him driving off, and that's the last we've seen of him."
Advert
That's right. Sir Alex Ferguson jumped over a desk to get at Roy Keane and had to be held back.
Of course, Keane's comments on MUTV that day remain one of the most infamous moments in the club's history.
On 29 October 2005, Manchester United were well beaten by Middlesbrough at the Riverside, losing 4-1 in a dreadful showing from Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
Advert
After the full-time whistle, MUTV went straight to an injured Roy Keane to get his thoughts on the game.
Keane, of course, pulled no punches in the "Roy Keane Plays The Pundit" section of the show, slating a number of players including Rio Ferdinand, who was at fault for the second goal after being dispossessed by Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink.
"I have seen that happen to Rio before," the Irishman said.
"It is poor defending. Just because you are paid £120,000 a week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham you think you are a superstar."
Advert
A livid Keane also criticised several other Manchester United players, including Darren Fletcher and Alan Smith, during a quite remarkable rant.
As a result, he was fined £5,000 as the club sought to destroy all copies of the tape, according to The Mirror.
In the past, Keane has said he "will not forgive" Ferguson for his involvement in the final days of his Old Trafford career.
Advert
Sir Alex Ferguson, meanwhile, has openly criticised Keane for his involvement in the MUTV incident.
"He criticised his team-mates," said Ferguson in his autobiography. "We could not release that video. It ended up with two young players being booed in Paris [against Lille] on the Wednesday.
"The meeting in the room was horrendous. I just could not lose my control in that situation. If I had let it pass I think the players would have viewed me differently.
"Throughout my career I have been strong enough to deal with issues like that.
"Roy absolutely overstepped the line. There was nothing else we could do."
Featured Image Credit: BBC/PATopics: Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, Premier League, Wayne Rooney, Roy Keane
