Irish manager Martin O'Neill has told reporters that he would like to see Roy Keane and Alex Ferguson bury the hatchet and publicly recognise the fact that they achieved great things together.
O'Neill claimed that while he would not intervene in someone else's argument, it would be nice to see Keane and Fergie patch things up:
What I maintain is that the two of them were magnificent for each other and from an outsider’s viewpoint it’d be nice, if at some stage or another, they recognise that publicly. I know that deep down they know they were superb for each other.
The Irish manager acknowledged the remarkable achievements of Ferguson and gently made reference to the role Keane played in his success:
Roy Keane was a vital cog in that. If you were to ask Sir Alex Ferguson, I’d bet one of the top three or four signings he made would be Roy Keane. And he signed some very fine players. That’s how important Roy was to him.
Both men's autobiographies would appear to have put any hopes of a reconciliation in jeopardy but that hasn't turned O'Neill against the genre, responding with 'Why not?' when asked if he would release one in the future.
Perhaps even more importantly, O'Neill told the Guardian of his delight at the fact Keane shaved his beard, saying 'It was looking rather shabby but Roy decided to go back to his youthful best.' This 'shabby' comment is a more serious allegation than anything Ferguson ever threw at Keane.
