Manchester United legend Roy Keane has admitted that he would have been “ashamed” if he did one thing during his time as a manager.
Considered one of the best captains of all time, Roy Keane excelled during his time at Manchester United and left behind a long-lasting legacy at Old Trafford.
The Irish hardman was widely revered for his leadership skills and hard work ethic, with Keane emerging as a key figure at United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Keane took over as United captain after Eric Cantona’s sudden retirement and the Sky Sports pundit is thought of highly by his ex-teammates during his run at the club.
Despite his influence both on the pitch and off it, Keane’s relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson fractured and the Irishman was ruthlessly axed from Old Trafford.
Following the end of his playing career in 2006 – after a brief spell with Celtic – Keane took his first steps into management and took charge of Sunderland.
Keane lifted a Championship title with Sunderland, but he resigned from his role as head coach in 2008 after 27 months in charge at the Stadium of Light.
The 52-year-old former United captain’s last managerial spell came in 2011 with Ipswich Town, which ended with Keane’s dismissal from the club.
Keane singles out Man Utd legend with praise
Despite the end of his managerial run at Ipswich Town, Roy Keane went on to serve as assistant manager at the Republic of Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
The Manchester United legend has refused to rule out a potential return to the dugout, with Keane even admitting that one role could tempt him to come back.
Speaking on the Stick to Football show, Keane insisted that he would have been “ashamed” to tell a player not to serve their country if they were called up.
The former Republic of Ireland captain spotlighted the commitment of former United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo to Portugal on the international stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the captain of his country and has the most international caps for Portugal, as well as being the top scorer for his native homeland.
“When I was a manager, and obviously players were getting called up, I’d be ashamed of my life to tell a player that he couldn’t go and play for his country,” Keane said on The Overlap.
“You might say it’s a different challenge at Manchester United, but I still think you’re a manager and when a player gets an international call-up, you should be happy for them because it’s a dream.
“We’re talking about the countries we’re involved in, but you see [Cristiano] Ronaldo and all these boys, and they play every international.
“They literally turn up and they play. And that’s why, what’s Ronaldo got, 150 or 160 caps? And these guys are under pressure week on week because they’re goal scorers.”
Keane’s comments in response to Neville’s admission
Keane’s comments on international duty came after Gary Neville admitted that former United manager Ferguson hated the March international break.
Gary Neville, who spent his entire playing career at Old Trafford, said that Ferguson withdrew key players from international duty during United’s treble-winning season.
Speaking on Ferguson, he said: “In the 1998-99 season, when we were going for the treble, in the March international break, Sir Alex Ferguson pulled David Beckham, Paul Scholes and myself out the England squad, and let Nicky Butt, Wes Brown and Phil Neville play for England, so it was like three in and three out. Sir Alex hated the March international break.
“There were seven of us playing for Manchester United and England and, if it was a proper qualifier, the boss wouldn’t have any issues with us playing, but if it was a friendly in the March break, he wasn’t having it.