You can file the revelation that Roy Keane was tough on the pitch into the “unsurprising” category.
But Keane wasn’t all aggression and roaring during his time at Manchester United. Apparently the Irishman used to be rather affectionate as a player before and after the whistle blew in a match.
Eric Djemba-Djemba, who was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in the hope that he would eventually replace Keane in the centre of the midfield, has given some insight into what it was like to play alongside the notoriously demanding Corkman.
Djemba-Djemba has explained how Keane used to treat his teammates at Old Trafford and it sure sounds like Kleberson took a lot of abuse after his arrival from Atlético Paranaense in 2003.
“In the dressing room, he was a good guy. He was very affectionate,” Djemba-Djemba told The Sun.
“But on the pitch…. If you had a gun, you’d want to shoot him. He’d insult you, he’d say anything and everything.
“As soon as the game was finished, he was a different person. I preferred Keane in the dressing room rather than on the pitch. He was like that because he wanted to win.
“Sometimes I’d wear a diamond earring and Keane would say to me, ‘What is this?’ So before I got to the dressing room I removed it because I didn’t want him to see it.
“I remember he used to shout at Kleberson, who was a very quiet guy who never spoke and was always laughing.
“Keane would always shout at him, ‘Wake up, you’re not in Brazil now on the Copacabana. Run!’
“I remember Rio Ferdinand was always laughing at Keane when he was shouting in the dressing room.”
