Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane
Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane had a minor bust up in their United days
Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney forged their bond at Manchester United after a heated confrontation.
Keane and Rooney's time together at Old Trafford overlapped for just over a year. The legendary Liverpudlian striker once disclosed that it was a minor quarrel, during which Keane told Rooney to go "f*** himself", that cemented their mutual respect.
This incident took place on the eve of a Premier League match against Newcastle in 2004. The team had settled into a hotel in the North East on the Friday night before the Saturday game.
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As they unwound in front of the television that evening, enjoying a meal, tensions were about to rise. Keane had set his mind on watching rugby but after stepping out of the room momentarily, he came back expecting to relax and watch the match, only to find that Rooney, the squad's joker, had changed the channel and hidden the remote control, reports the Mirror.
In his 2014 autobiography 'The Second Half', Keane said: "We were in a hotel, the Friday night before a game I forget where. The team would always sit down and have a meal together. There was a big TV in the room.
"I was into rugby league, and there was a big game on. I went to the toilet, came back and someone had changed the channel to something stupid. I can't remember what it was. A few of the players were sitting there, giggling away.
"I said, 'where's the rugby league?' I knew Wayne was up to something. I said, 'where's the remote control?' He said, 'I don't know.' I said, 'you f****** do'. I didn't exactly storm out, but I couldn't be bothered trying to get the remote control back, so I decided I'd watch the rest of the match up in my room.
Keane and Rooney's minor spat at United was discussed in the former's autobiography (Image: EMPICS Sport)
"I came down the next morning for the pre-match meal and Wayne was brave enough to come up to me [in front of the squad]. 'Did you ever find the remote control, Roy?' I think I told him to go and f*** himself. It was the only disagreement I ever had with him."
Rooney's decision to confront Keane may have been a turning point in their relationship. Reflecting on the same incident years later, Rooney agreed there was a silver lining, believing that confrontation may have earned Keane's respect.
In 2018, Rooney said: "I always remember my first away trip, having that argument with Roy Keane. We were watching the rugby before we were playing Newcastle away.
"He went to get some food, so I put X-Factor on and hid the remote. He wasn't happy about it and we had an argument. But I think straight away, he respected me more for standing up to him."
Not long after the incident in 2005, Keane departed from United to join Celtic, having secured a haul of seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and a Champions League trophy during his time under Sir Alex Ferguson. Rooney continued to don United colours until 2017, eventually leaving as the club's all-time leading scorer, adorned with five Premier League crowns, three League Cups, and a Champions League.
Nowadays, both Keane and Rooney are seen sharing their insights on Sky Sports' The Overlap podcast, often alongside other ex-United players such as Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.
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