"The lad’s on a different wavelength" - Roy Keane explains why he never warmed to Wayne Rooney during Manchester United stint
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane recently shed light on his relationship with Wayne Rooney. The duo played one-and-a-half seasons together at Old Trafford before Keane left for Celtic in January 2006.
Rooney arrived at United as an 18-year-old from Everton but didn't quite gel in with Keane, who was the then-captain of the club. The latter, while on Sky Sports’ The Football Show, opened up on his relationship with the former England international, saying:
“We certainly didn’t have an argument, let me tell you. I like my rugby league and yeah, someone did change the channel and I wasn’t happy. But we didn’t have an argument about it. I came down for breakfast the next day and Wayne said ‘Did you find the control?’
"So I told him where to go. If that’s an argument, god help us. I certainly didn’t respect Wayne because he stood up to me and wanted to watch the X Factor. I had a lot of respect for Wayne because I thought he was a brilliant player.
“I wouldn’t say I warmed to the guy, I certainly didn’t dislike him. But the lad’s on a different wavelength, different banter and if hiding the control was his type of banter then... not for me.”
Rooney and Keane played 39 matches together and combined for one goal before the latter left Manchester United.
When Manchester United legend Roy Keane revealed his favorite Premier League team
Roy Keane is one of the greatest players to have represented Manchester United, but the former midfielder is not a fan of the club. As revealed in 2015 during a function for a childhood cancer charity, he supported Tottenham Hotspur while growing up.
He said (via the Daily Mail):
"Just because I played for Manchester United didn't mean I was a fan of the team. When I played for Rockmount, one of my teammates' father used to bring me to training and he supported Tottenham.
"That's where it started, I liked their players, the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Clive Allen. But after I'd come back from trial at Nottingham Forest, Spurs offered me a trial. I turned it down because Forest had been good me, I liked the club and felt some loyalty to them. I had a soft spot for Spurs, and still do."
Keane played 478 matches for Manchester United, scoring 51 and assisting 38 goals. He won seven Premier Leagues, four FA Cups and a Champions League among other honors during his time at the club.