Graham Hunter has been getting a lot of praise for his podcast 'The Big Interview', where the Spanish football expert sits down for a chat with many players and personalities from the world of football.
Recently, former Manchester United midfielder and current West Bromwich Albion captain Darren Fletcher was a guest on the podcast and one of the topics that arose was Roy Keane, with the Corkman having once singled out Fletcher for criticism in a public interview.
Fletcher suggested that he thought Keane was harsh on him in that instance, but he also spoke on Roy as a player, and offered an insight that you normally don't hear. While most will tell you about Roy's leadership, and graft in midfield, Fletcher thinks the focus should be on his passing:
Roy Keane was one of the best passers of the ball I’ve ever seen. In terms of his touch and the pace in which he’d pass the ball forward and always pass it forward and broke the lines of the opposition quickly. He was the best at that. At breaking the opposition’s line and getting attacking players on to a transition.
His touch was immaculate, he had the best first touch. All these things were so underrated in his game.
Everyone looked at him as this ferocious competitor and box-to-box runner and tackler. That wasn’t false, but, with the ball, he had one of the best first touches and the best pass forward into the attacking half to break the lines of the opposition that I’ve ever seen.
Then you’ve got Paul Scholes who maybe got recognised even more for his controlling the game abilities when Roy moved on. Because Roy controlled the midfield, Scholesy was then the one who got forward and got goals and used his technique higher up the pitch.
An interesting view from Fletcher, who has not missed a single minute of Premier League action since signing for West Brom.
You can listen to the interview in full below:
