Roy Keane reveals regret over failing to ‘relax’ in Manchester United career in disagreement with Gary Neville
The former United captain perfectly described the mentality that helped him reach the top of the sport
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Roy Keane concedes he regrets failing to “relax” at any point during his Manchester United career as it was simply “not in his make-up”.
The former Red Devils skipper disagreed with former teammate Gary Neville, who admitted at times he could ease off, firmly believing Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were too dominant to let the title slip.
Neville recalls the second season after clinching the famous treble, explaining his feeling at the time that there was no doubt anymore about whether they would win a third successive title
“We’d never have said it publicly but going into the 6-1 win over Arsenal I don’t think there were any doubts we would go on to win the league, we were totally confident,” Neville told MNF Retro.
“In years gone by we had titanic battles with Arsenal but this season didn’t feel like it was going to be one of them.”
But Keane dismissed the notion he was able to coast at any stage of his career, underlining the intensity he maintained throughout a dominant period with the Red Devils.
“Believe it or not, I’m going to disagree with Gary,” Keane responded.
“I didn’t fall for that at all, throughout my career I never thought that anything was easy. We made it look easy at the end, but that was because we worked really hard.
“Even when you were 10 or 13 points clear and people say it felt like the league was won, I never felt that way, it wasn’t in my make-up.
“I wish I was a bit relaxed when we were so far clear, but I felt I couldn’t relax. I couldn’t think that way, that was my mindset and I was never happy really.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments