Roy Keane has aimed another dig at his former Republic of Ireland teammates while comparing them to players at Manchester United.
Former United captain Keane is widely viewed as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, and arguably the best player to have ever featured for the Republic of Ireland.
Despite his undoubted quality, Keane played only 67 times for his national side – partly due to his numerous confrontations with Irish management.
Ahead of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, captain Keane was sent home by Mick McCarthy after launching a furious verbal attack on his manager during a team meeting.
Keane missed the entirety of the tournament but later reconciled with McCarthy, with the former United man later admitting his regret at not playing at the World Cup.
But he has now seemingly reopened old wounds, claiming he wouldn’t want to meet up with any of his Ireland teammates.
When asked which former Ireland player he’d least like to bump into again, Keane said on Stick to Football: The Overlap Special, brought to you by Sky Bet: “There’s a few. I wouldn’t want to bump into any of them, absolutely.
“More international, club lads I was okay with but international they were just eggs.
“I can name a few [eggs] but I’m better than that.”
However, Keane also admitted regret at how he handled certain incidents in his career, including his infamous World Cup departure.
Keane was sent home by Ireland manager Mick McCarthy at the 2002 World Cup (Image: Getty)
“I’ve had big stories about me in the press before, particularly the World Cup and when I left Manchester United, and it has a huge effect on your family, particularly your parents,” added Keane, who apologised to Harry Maguire for previous comments he made about the United defender.
“I’ve got children and if someone was critical of my child, I’d be affected.
“It made my parents ill, 100 per cent, they were very ill from that stuff. So, we all have a responsibility without a doubt. I know we all sit in a studio but if you stick it to football and not cross the line.”
Keane also used the podcast episode to take a cheeky dig at former England international Jill Scott after she turned up wearing her nation’s kit, suggesting his love for Irish football is perhaps greater than he lets on.
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