Roy Keane was known to have a falling out or two over the course of his career. There are no shortage of examples of the Irishman getting into altercations with other players, both on and off the pitch.
Of course, even his own teammates weren't safe.
Keane often got involved in scraps with his own players and coaches, both at club and international level. A number of Manchester United stars down through the years knew all about his combative nature in even away from the pitch.
Teddy Sheringham falls into that category.
Teddy Sheringham recalls huge fight with Roy Keane
Sheringham joined Manchester United in 1997, arriving at Old Trafford as an experienced player who had not won a whole lot up until that point in his career. While he would lift a number of trophies at United, including playing a key role in their treble triumph in 1999, he would do so without having any sort of relationship with Roy Keane.
In an extract from Matt Dickinson's upcoming book 1999: Manchester United, the Treble and All That available in The Telegraph, the former England striker recalled how their relationship was all but non-existent after the two became involved in a drunken row on a night out in 1998.
We're all in a minibus coming back to where we got picked up from. I’m sitting behind the driver, Keany was next to the driver. Steve Bruce (who had left the club but still lived nearby) is next to me, [Gary] Pallister, Denis [Irwin], a couple of others in there. Bit of banter flying about in the car.
All of a sudden, Keany said, ‘Why don’t you f*** off back to London in your f***ing red Ferrari and your penthouse?’
I went ‘Eh?’ And he says, ‘Yeah, f*** off back to London.’
I’m like, ‘Are you coming for me, Keany? Why are you coming for me, you Paddy? F***ing what?’ And he went ‘f*** off’, and he goes on ‘f***ing red Ferrari, penthouse . . .’
And then he jumped round, still with his bad leg, got me by the tie, pulled me towards him, grappling with him. Suddenly everyone’s going ‘what’s going on?’ and pulling us apart.
Keane was out injured at the time having done his ACL the previous year.
The pair had been teammate at Nottingham Forest previously, although they weren't exactly close during that period either.
Sheringham recalls that he fully expected the two to come to blows when they met at the training ground after this incident, although that would not prove to be the case.
Instead, Keane would stop speaking to him for the three-and-a-half years that the striker remained at Old Trafford.
I walked in past him and I’m thinking he’s going to get up and boot me in the face. I’m thinking ‘here we go’.
And Keany gets up and walks out. He didn’t say a word to me. He didn’t say a word to me for the next three-and-a-half years...
I was always a good talker on the pitch whoever I was around up front, Coley [Andy Cole] or anyone. ‘Man on,’ watching the centre back.
With Keany, I’ve got good eyes for whatever he’s planning in midfield. ‘Watch yourself. Get up early, protect yourself.’ I’d always give him good information. But after that, not a word.
On the pitch he didn’t say anything to me. Nothing socially for the next four years, not even in the dressing room.
While the pair would have no relationship while they were teammates, Sheringham said he met Keane a number of years later where the Cork native shook his hand as and acted 'as if nothing had happened'.
United fans will be glad that the pair managed to co-exist on the pitch despite their issues.
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