Manchester United legend Roy Keane was named only the second best captain in Premier League history in BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton’s top five rankings.
Roy Keane is widely considered one of the best captains of all time, having previously been praised by Chris Sutton for his exceptional leadership skills.
The 52-year-old Irishman succeeded fellow Manchester United legend Eric Cantona as club captain and was a key figure in Sir Alex Ferguson’s success at Old Trafford.
A talented box-to-box midfielder in his day, Keane’s magnificent football skills were coupled with his commanding presence both on and off the pitch for United.
The Irish hardman was well-known for his no-nonsense approach on the pitch, with Keane excelling as Red Devils captain during his legendary spell at Old Trafford.
Keane hoovered up the major silverware during his time at United, including captaining the Premier League club to an iconic continental treble win in 1999.
The Sky Sports pundit’s spell at the Red Devils came to an end in 2005 after his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson fractured, with Keane later signing for Celtic.
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Sutton ranks Keane in top five Premier League captains
Posting on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Chris Sutton caused quite the controversy with his top five Premier League captains of all time.
The 50-year-old BBC Sport pundit placed Manchester United legend Roy Keane at No 2 behind former England and Arsenal captain Tony Adams.
Chelsea legend John Terry finished behind Keane and Adams in Sutton’s rankings, with former Blackburn Rovers skipper Tim Sherwood surprisingly placed at No 4.
Sutton signed off his top five rankings with ex-Leicester City skipper Wes Morgan, who was club captain during the Foxes’ remarkable Premier League title win.
The TNT Sports pundit and commentator ruffled some feathers on social media by placing Keane second and snubbing other ex-captains, including Vincent Kompany.
Gary Neville on Keane’s influence as Man Utd captain
Gary Neville inherited the captain’s armband at United after legendary former manager Ferguson axed Keane from the Premier League club.
The Sky Sports pundit was a key locker-room figure for Ferguson towards the end of his career, but Neville widely admired Keane’s leadership skills at Old Trafford.
Speaking on Sky Sports in 2018, Neville paid tribute to former United teammate Keane and called him the “most inspirational football player” he played alongside.
“Roy Keane without a shadow of a doubt,” he said, as per the Irish Mirror.
“Without a shadow of a doubt the most inspirational football player that I played with.
“Because he wasn’t only the best player on the pitch most weeks, which obviously is a fantastic thing with a captain, then everyone else will sort of follow your lead…
“But just the influence he had in terms of his standards, the fact that he made everyone else feel 10-foot tall, the fact that he demanded from you all the time.
“He was almost like Sir Alex Ferguson out on the training pitch and in the changing room.
“There was never any drop in standard from Roy.”
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