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My Favourite 5 Manchester United players

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Roy Keane – The archetypal skipper, the manager on the field, the toughest midfielder in Premier League history. When Bryan Robson was coming to the end of his career at United, many questioned what would come of United’s midfield and how they’d cope without ‘Captain Marvel’. The answer was Roy Keane.

His infamous battles with Patrick Vieira over the years as United battled with Arsenal for Premier League supremacy will live long in the memory.

‘Keano’ was also a controversial character. He deliberately injured Manchester City defender Alf-Inge Haaland and gave a brutally honest account of events in his autobiography.

He said: “I’d waited long enough. I fucking hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you cunt. And don’t ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries.

“Even in the dressing room afterwards, I had no remorse. My attitude was, fuck him. What goes around comes around. He got his just rewards. He fucked me over and my attitude is an eye for an eye.”

Roy Keane, most importantly, was a winner. Second place is a first-class loser when it came to Keane. He hated losing.

Which is maybe why his 12-year United career ended so abruptly and bitterly. Keane was used to winning and he was enduring United’s most difficult transitional period during his time there and had obviously grown frustrated with younger players who weren’t performing yet.

During the Wayne Rooney saga when the England striker threatened to leave the Old Trafford club, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson referred to a player who thought “Ronaldo and Rooney weren’t good enough.” Keane immediately sprang to mind.

His single-mindedness may have been his downfall but all geniuses have their flaws.

Like Scholes, Keane missed the Champions League final in 1999 after a second bookable offence and again, similar to his midfield partner he dismisses the medal he received as he didn’t play in the final.

This attitude of being the best and beating the best summed up that team and Roy Keane’s legacy at Old Trafford will continue eternally.

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