'Looking over your shoulder': Roy Keane brutally snubbed Kenny Dalglish to join Man United for record fee
Roy Keane joked that he was “looking over his shoulder” during his boys' holiday after telling Kenny Dalglish he was signing for Manchester United.
The Irishman spent the majority of his illustrious career at Man United, winning seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one Champions League, among other honours, between 1993 and 2005.
But the former midfielder's career path could have been totally different if he had kept his promise to Dalglish to sign for Blackburn.
Now, Keane has revealed how awkward it was to confirm to the Scot, who led Liverpool through one of their greatest eras in the late 1980s and won the league with Blackburn in 1995, that he was going to sign for nemeses Manchester United in 1993.
speaking in The overlapHe said: “I remember Kenny calling me and I remember he was going to Ayia Napa with some guys from Forest.
“And Kenny said: 'I hear you're going to United' and I said: 'Kenny, listen'… to be fair, I felt something big (gestures that feel small with his hands), 'I should have contacted he'. already'.”
When Arsenal legend Ian Wright asked him if he was afraid to talk to him, he said: “A little bit, yes. A little embarrassed, yes, of course, and I don't think the United team are over the line yet.
“So this was the game I was playing. I was trying to keep United on my side or whatever. And Kenny went crazy. Absolutely.”
Former Man United team-mate Gary Neville, who had clearly heard this story before, prompted Keane to tell viewers what Daglish called him.
“Something like 'you're a fucking joke, no one does this to Kenny Dalglish',” he said. “But he was right! And he said 'we shook hands to close the deal'. And I remember he said something like “in Scotland, if you shake hands, it's a deal.”
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Asked by Neville if Keane would have been so angry when he was manager, the 52-year-old, who has been in charge of Sunderland and Ipswich, said: “Yes, I would, but if I were manager, not until the deal is signed. , I guess. But yeah.”
He continued: “But listen, I've done that with players when I was a coach. They said yes and the next day they left with another person.
“Listen, we all know this, but if things had been done that night, I would have signed for Blackburn! So listen, you have to take responsibility, as if that doesn't happen to a club now. Everyone would be left behind, it's not like people leave at 5 o'clock…
“So they have to look at themselves. But Kenny was going crazy and I remember saying 'look Kenny, I'm going on holiday tomorrow'. I told him 'listen, I'm going to have fun' and you know, 'I'll sign for them when I get back.' So I said 'I'm done'.
“He said, 'I'll fucking find you.' I was in Ayia Napa for a week looking over my shoulder! I swear!”
Neville and company cracked up at the thought of a young Keane on his children's holiday looking after an angry Dalglish.
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Blackburn originally agreed a £4m fee for Keane, with the midfielder activating his relegation clause in his contract with Nottingham Forest after they left the top flight.
However, Dalglish realized they did not have the correct documentation needed to complete the transfer and, with Blackburn's offices closed over the weekend, agreed to return to close the deal on Monday.
But despite their verbal agreement, Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United swooped in, hijacked the move and signed Keane on Saturday for £3.75m, a British transfer record at the time.
Keane made 477 appearances for United, 126 for Nottingham Forest and made 11 appearances for Celtic, establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and beyond.
