Roy Keane admitted that one Manchester United legend and himself had different “personalities” after an incident involving the pair under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
The 53-year-old Irishman is widely hailed as one of the best captains in Premier League history after his remarkable playing spell at Manchester United.
Roy Keane ascended to the United captaincy after Eric Cantona’s sudden retirement in 1997 and carved out a long-lasting legacy at the Premier League club.
A once commanding box-to-box midfielder, Keane excelled as United skipper under Sir Alex Ferguson and was praised for his leadership skills on and off the pitch.
The United legend famously captained the Red Devils to their iconic treble win in the 1998-99 season, with Keane playing a pivotal role in the Champions League run.
During his time at Old Trafford, Keane hoovered up the major silverware and lifted seven Premier League titles, a Champions League and four FA Cups with United.
The Irish hardman’s spell at the Red Devils came to an end in 2005 after his contract was terminated by mutual consent amid a rift with former manager Ferguson.
Keane’s rivalry with Man Utd legend
Roy Keane was well known for his tough-as-nails reputation and no-nonsense attitude on the pitch, coupled with his exceptional ability as a midfielder and captain.
Despite being held in high regard by several of his former teammates, Keane famously had rivalries with different Manchester United legends.
The Irishman has previously opened up about his differences with some of his former club teammates, including Peter Schmeichel and Teddy Sheringham.
Keane missed most of the 1997-98 campaign for United after a cruciate ligament injury, which came after a tackle from former Leeds United player Alfie Haaland.
Peter Schmeichel took over as United captain in Keane’s absence, but the Red Devils legend was “reluctant” to hand the armband back to the Irishman.
Keane recalled how Schmeichel’s reluctance to hand back the captain’s armband “added another level” to their legendary rivalry at Old Trafford.
“I was coming back from a crucial period, and Peter Schmeichel was reluctant to give back the captaincy, which added another level to it,” he said on The Overlap’s Stick to Football show.
“We were playing in Denmark and the manager said that he would leave Peter as is for pre-season because he was in his hometown. Then we played the charity shield, and you had a go after the match.
“I got the captaincy back in the end and that was it, but it was just the personalities.
“I just thought Peter would say that I was back after an injury, and I could have my captaincy back. But he was reluctant.”
Schmeichel at Man Utd and dream move
Schmeichel and Keane had a famous rivalry during their time together at Old Trafford, with the pair once infamously clashing on a pre-season tour in Asia.
Keane pulled no punches towards the 60-year-old former United No 1 after his career, even going as far as to call Schmeichel an “overrated” player.
The pair have since settled their rivalry and both Schmeichel and Keane enjoyed incredible success together at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Schmeichel, who featured on the latest Stick to Football episode, admitted that it was his dream to play for United and to play in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
“I never really thought about the personal side of being a footballer – it never really meant anything to me,” he said.
“Since I was a kid, since I could remember anything about football, I wanted to play for Manchester United. I can’t explain why, I just wanted to.
“Every night going to sleep, I was just thinking about that – that was my big ambition. My biggest thing was to play an FA Cup final at Wembley, for United.
“I didn’t get to the FA Cup final in my first year, we got the Rumbelows Cup [against Roy Keane and Nottingham Forest]. I never thought about being the hero or the best.”
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