Manchester United legend Roy Keane made his feelings clear that he would avoid one Premier League cult hero rather than squaring up in a confrontation.
Roy Keane built a no-nonsense approach on and off the field and the Manchester United legend was known for his tough-as-nails reputation.
The 53-year-old former United star’s personality and demeanour allowed Keane to excel as club captain under former Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Keane inherited the captain’s armband after Eric Cantona’s sudden retirement in 1997 and the Irishman was a linchpin midfield figure for United.
The Irish hardman enjoyed incredible success during his time at Old Trafford, including captaining United to a famous continental treble win in 1999.
Signed from Nottingham Forest in 1993, Keane lifted seven Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy and four FA Cups with the Red Devils.
The former Nottingham Forest and United midfielder’s illustrious run at Old Trafford came to an end in 2005 after his falling out with Ferguson.
Keane, who made 478 appearances for the Red Devils, was axed from the Premier League club and saw out the remainder of his career at Celtic.
Keane’s reaction to Premier League cult hero
Roy Keane had a brief spell with Scottish side Celtic before he bowed out of football as a player in 2006, with the Irishman later going into coaching and management.
The former Sunderland and Ipswich Town manager has since become one of the leading faces in punditry, including regular appearances on Sky Sports.
During Arsenal’s FA Cup quarter-final clash against Everton in 2014, Keane was part of the coverage and opened up about Premier League cult hero Duncan Ferguson.
Duncan Ferguson, much like Keane, had a tough-as-nails reputation and pulled no punches towards players on the pitch.
The ex-Everton star was part of the first-team coaching staff at the Toffees after his playing career and the ‘camera panned onto’ him during the FA Cup tie.
Former ITV Sport presenter Adrian Chiles asked Keane about ‘Big Dunc’ and the Manchester United legend revealed he didn’t want to cross paths with Ferguson.
“I used to stay away from him,” Keane said at the time, as per GiveMeSport in December.
“We’re talking about characters earlier and he’s certainly that. He was a top, top player and he’s obviously been promoted up the last two or three weeks to work with the first team and no doubt the strikers at Everton will learn a lot from him.”
Micah Richards on Keane vs Ferguson
Speaking on the Match of The Day: Top 10 podcast, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards ranked the 10 hard men of the Premier League era.
Richards, who has shared a close relationship with the United legend on and off the camera, talked about how Keane “walked away from a confrontation” with Ferguson.
“Some of these guys are before my time and the reason he slipped down to five is because I was watching Duncan Ferguson videos, and Jaap Stam and Roy Keane walked away from a confrontation,” he said, as per BBC Sport in 2021.
“So, I wondered how hard are you really? Roy let me down. Everyone talks about him being a hard man. He’s nice with me [in their roles as Sky Sports pundits].
“You guys [Lineker and Shearer] are legends of the game and Roy is in that category. So, when you have to work with him, you’ve got respect. I love working with him.
“I couldn’t compete with him as a player, with medals, but I can make him uncomfortable on camera.”
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