It’s no shock that during his time at Manchester United, Roy Keane mostly kept to himself. The skilled Irish player led the team through its most triumphant periods under Sir Alex Ferguson, setting a stellar example both on and off the field.
While he held a crucial role as club captain, Keane openly admitted that he wasn’t particularly taken with some of the younger players, Wayne Rooney being one of them—the club’s top goal scorer, surpassing even Sir Bobby Charlton’s remarkable record. However, well before Rooney achieved this feat, he irked Keane by tuning into The X Factor.
In an interview on Sky Sports’ The Football Show, Keane recounted how Rooney, now managing Birmingham City, had managed to get on his nerves during their time playing together at United. After departing from the club for good in 2005, Keane revealed his struggle to build meaningful connections with teammates in his final days at Old Trafford.
He mentioned, “Near the end I remember thinking I don’t get some of the boys. I don’t get their banter or humour. I rarely had a conversation with anyone. When I left there were a lot of players I didn’t miss. The game was changing and maybe I was a bit grumpy, a bit old school.”
Keane continued, “I didn’t get Wayne or Rio [Ferdinand], I didn’t get their banter or what they stood for sometimes. It was probably a personal thing. The game was changing and I had changed with it but towards the end at United with the players coming through I didn’t always get them.”
He concluded, “Personality-wise they were not for me. Obviously they were very good players and I was delighted to play with them but in terms of banter or having a cup of coffee with them? No forget it.”
Manchester United performance and stats
Manchester United
Manchester United is currently 8th in the Premier League with 28 points.
In the last 18 games, it has won 9 times, drawn once, and lost 8 times. In its last match, Manchester United lost 2-0 against West Ham United.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 18 goals and conceding 23.
Manchester United will play the next match in Premier League against Aston Villa on Tuesday 26th of December in Manchester. The prediction is Manchester UnitedAston Villa winning the match.
