Roy Keane has opened up on the 10 minute meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson that ended his Manchester United career.
The Irishman left by mutual consent after giving an explosive interview on MUTV, where he savagely tore into his own teammates following a shocking 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough.
In November 2005, Keane, departed Old Trafford by mutual consent, despite not being able to sign for another club until the January transfer window.
The meeting that ended his career lasted just 10 minutes and Keane is still clearly irked by his treatment from Ferguson and the club.
MORE HERE: 😳 OnlyFans model hit with lifetime ban after flashing at UFC event
Speaking on the Stick to Football he said: “I get my anger is obviously a long time ago but the worst anger you can have is the justified anger where you feel – again I feel – I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I was 34, I had a broken foot, and my contract was coming up, it was an easy fix for United to go, ‘Your days are numbered, alright, cheers, thanks a lot’ – and I’ve seen players leave but I could have left in the summer.
“My solicitor, my client, who did all my deals, the most relaxed, placid man you’d ever meet, I’ve seen him negotiate – a very good man and knew a good deal – but he almost fell off his chair.
“Ferguson and Gill went, ‘We’ve come to the end and here’s a statement’. I was like, ‘’Alright’ and he was like, ‘What?!’ I said, ‘Leave it Mike’, and they went out and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m out of here’, and he [my solicitor] couldn’t believe it – all within ten minutes.”
Keane added: “I just think if people think that little of you, I’m not going to go, ‘Well you know, I’m going to see my contract out’. Believe it or not, I thought too much of the club. I could have easily gone, ‘Is that what you think of me? But I’ll see out my contract, I’ll come in everyday’.
“In hindsight, [I could have said], ‘We’ve come to the end, yeah, but I’ve got a contract with Manchester United just like you do with United’ – you’re on about principles but when something like that is in front of me, I’m like disgusted with people, I go, ‘I wouldn’t even want to see you again’.
I was home by half nine, quarter to ten, my wife’s gone, ‘What’s happened?’, I went, ‘It’s over’. They still hadn’t done my termination, and Mike was like, ‘I can’t believe it’s happening’ and then statements came out, then I found out that day I couldn’t go to another team – so I couldn’t play until January.
“If I’d have known, I would have said, ‘I’ll just train with the reserves and get myself fit’, so I left Manchester United having not played for two or three months with a broken foot, and I couldn’t go to anyone until January. I was in no man’s land.”
Keane left Old Trafford and joined Celtic but was severely hampered by injuries and made only 11 appearances for the club retiring just 6 months later.
