Ex-Manchester United skipper Roy Keane has admitted that he is a Tottenham Hotspur fan, and still has a ‘soft spot’ for Spurs.
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The Republic of Ireland legend featured for the Red Devils for 12 years, making over 300 league appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
The tenacious midfielder won the Premier League title a remarkable seven times, while he also lifted four FA Cups, the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup.
However, in an interview with the Irish Examiner, the 43-year-old has admitted that United were not his first love.
“I had a soft spot for Spurs, and still do,” he began, in a recent interview.
“Just because I played for Manchester United didn’t mean I was a fan of the team. Of course, if they’re playing Liverpool these days, I’d want United to win. But when I left a club, I broke my ties.
“When I played for Rockmount, one of my team-mate’s fathers used to bring me to training and he supported Tottenham. That’s where it started. I liked their players, the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Clive Allen.
“But after I’d come back from trial at Nottingham Forest, Spurs offered me a trial,” he concluded.
“I turned it down because Forest had been good me, I liked the club and felt some loyalty to them.”
Keane moved to Forest from Cobh Ramblers in 1990, featuring under legendary coach Brian Clough for three years before moving to Old Trafford.
In the late nineties and early noughties, he was considered among the finest players in the world, dominating games from the heart of the midfield and leading the Red Devils as Ferguson’s on-field leader.
He left for Celtic in 2005 before retiring a year later.
Keane’s managerial career has not been as successful as his time as a player, and despite leading Sunderland to an unlikely Premier League promotion, he left the club under a cloud in 2008.
He subsequently coached Ipswich Town, before taking on an assistant role with the Ireland national side and, briefly, Aston Villa.