Dwight Yorke has admitted that at one stage he was blissfully unaware of Roy Keane’s rivalry with one Manchester United legend during his time at Old Trafford.
The 52-year-old former Manchester United striker arrived at the Premier League club in 1998 after Sir Alex Ferguson signed him from Aston Villa for a £12.6m fee.
Dwight Yorke had an impressive spell at Old Trafford and forged a remarkable strike partnership with fellow United legend Andy Cole under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Both Andy Cole and Yorke played a key part in United’s success in the 1998-99 campaign, which culminated with the Red Devils capturing a famous treble.
Yorke scored an impressive 66 times in 152 appearances for United and lifted three Premier League titles, a Champions League and an FA Cup with the Red Devils.
The United legend’s run at Old Trafford came to an end in 2002 and he went on to play for the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland.
Yorke on Keane’s Man Utd rivalry
Roy Keane was a linchpin midfield figure under Sir Alex Ferguson and had a long-lasting impact after his prolific playing spell at Manchester United.
The 53-year-old Irishman excelled as United captain and Keane played an integral role in United’s famous treble-winning season.
However, Keane even had high-profile rivalries with his former teammates at United, including the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Teddy Sheringham.
Dwight Yorke revealed that he was a “mediator” during his time at Old Trafford and was not directly involved in the dressing room drama among United players.
The ex-Trinidad and Tobago international opened up on Keane’s dislike for Teddy Sheringham and believes there was “more” to their rivalry than meets the eye.
“Keano didn’t particularly like him too much, do that didn’t help,” Yorke said on beIN Sports.
“It took me two years into my reign at United to realise that was happening because I was having such a good time.
“I was like the mediator in all of this. The happy-go-lucky guy in the dressing room.
“He didn’t like him turning up in the Ferrari, from what I gather. There might have been more to it, but that had a part to play in it.
“You had to be a baller to turn up in a proper car back in the day.”
Keane and Sheringham rivalry
Keane has since played down his rivalry with Teddy Sheringham and the two United legends have appeared to put aside their differences since their playing days.
The Irish hardman is close friends with former United teammate Andy Cole, who had a high-profile feud with Sheringham when they played together.
Cole, who has since settled his feud with Sheringham, revealed that Keane once became involved between the pair when the tension spilt over after a match.
“The final straw for me was in a game against Bolton, I remember drawing 1-1 at Old Trafford, they scored a late goal and he said to me that it was my fault,” he said on The Overlap’s Stick to Football show in May.
“I said to myself, okay, let’s just get to full-time. Usually, I’m one of the last off the pitch but that day I was one of the first off the pitch. I ran down the tunnel and waited for him to come in.
“We had a little bit of a set-to and I’ve just about copped my arm back and then peacemaker [Keane] came in for thirty seconds and turned it on its head. He tried to break it up, then got involved himself.”
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