Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has admitted that he struggled to connect with younger stars such as Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand in his later days at Old Trafford.
Keane wrote himself into Red Devils history thanks to his leadership qualities, with a Champions League semi-final performance away to Juventus in 1999 particularly iconic of his dogged attitude.
By the time he was finishing his stint at Old Trafford, where he signed in 1993 and left for Celtic 12 years later, he admits that he was beginning to become out of touch with a younger generation of players coming through.
“Your dressing room’s always changing, as most summers you have one or two new faces that come in,” Keane told Sky Sports.
“The dynamic changes as young players come in. To be honest, when I was getting towards the end of my career, I was looking around the dressing room and we had players like Wayne and Rio Ferdinand, Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea and things were changing.
“The dynamics were changing, and I always used to roll with it – I didn’t mind because it would give you a new type of energy, especially if they were good players who could help us win trophies.
“But towards the end, I remember thinking that with some of these lads, I didn’t get them and their banter, their humour. I was barely having a conversation with any of them, but I was constantly looking at the bigger picture of whether they were going to be good players for Man United. That was the most important thing.
“Even with Wayne and Rio, I didn’t get their banter and what it stood for sometimes. Towards the end at United, with the players that were coming through, I didn’t always get them. I thought personality-wise, they’re not for me.
“I was professional, and they were all very good players, so I was delighted to play with them, But in terms of having banter, a cup of tea or a coffee with them, forget it.”
Keane enjoyed a storied career, winning seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and played a major role in United sealing the 1999 Champions League, despite being suspended for the final. .Goal
