Rio Ferdinand has revealed how Roy Keane tore into him during his very first training session with Manchester United.
Ferdinand, like Keane, would go on to become a legend at Old Trafford, becoming a key player in one of the club’s most successful eras.
But he too was once a new kid on the block after arriving from Leeds United in 2002, and he certainly wasn’t excused from some typically intense treatment from Keane.
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In fact, the Irishman didn’t even wait more than a day to tear into Ferdinand, who revealed to Pundit Arena: I got the ball and passed to Gary [Neville], who was on my team.
“In a normal game that was a great ball – pass to your teammate, go up the pitch.
“And then Keane turned around and just started going, ‘Pass the f**king ball forward, take risks, you’re not at Leeds or West Ham now, you’re at Manchester United!’
“I got home later that day and thought, ‘This guy is nuts, how am I going to deal with him on a daily basis?'”
“And then I realised that you’ve got to take chances and that’s how I ended up playing my career. Not just passing the simple ball to Gary, but into the strikers to make a difference.”