Manchester United failed to break down a stubborn Manchester City last night, as their rivals walked away with all three points following a 2-0 win. After the match, Roy Keane and Gary Neville failed to agree in the Sky Sports studio as the Nottingham Forest assistant manager hit out at his former club’s “lack of desire”. Keane rolled his eyes several times as his former teammate claimed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s players “gave their all”, before aiming some of his anger at Brazilian midfielder Fred.
However, it is nothing short of what is expected from the Irishman, who has earned a fearsome reputation for his temper on and off the field over the years.
It was this same attitude that once left Rio Ferdinand questioning whether he wanted to carry on playing alongside the fiery midfielder.
He told The Mirror in March 2018 how things panned out in his first training session with the club after his record-breaking transfer from Leeds United in 2002.
He said: “I got the ball and passed to Gary [Neville], who was on my team.
“In a normal game that was a great ball – pass to your teammate, go up the pitch.
“Then Keane turned around and just started going: ‘Pass it forward, take risks, you’re not at Leeds or West Ham now, you’re at Manchester United!’
“I stood there and thought: ‘This guy is crazy man, what’s he doing? I passed it to a teammate, surely I’m doing alright.'”
Ferdinand, who won the Premier League six times under Sir Alex Ferdinand, detailed how the exchange made him question his move to Manchester.
He added: “I got home later that day and thought: ‘This guy is nuts, how am I going to deal with him on a daily basis?’
“And then I realised that you’ve got to take chances and that’s how I ended up playing my career.
“Not just passing the simple ball to Gary, but into the strikers to make a difference.”
The legendary Red Devils centre-back had just signed from Leeds and was expected to set the world alight.
Sir Alex had identified him as the right man to add some much-needed pace to his defence, which featured an ageing Laurent Blanc.
It turned out to be one of his best signings, as Ferdinand would go on to become captain and lead the Red Devils to Champions League victory in 2008.