Roy Keane is one of the biggest legends in Manchester United history. The tough-tackling midfielder was part of a United team that dominated the Premier League in the 90s. He was a much-feared player that even instilled fear into his own players, so his opposition has always hated playing against him.
Keane and United dominating in the 90s
Keane ran things on the pitch, just as Fergie ran everything off it. Together, they won seven Premier League trophies, four FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League. United fans remember him fondly as a steely player that changed their style of play to ensure they could compete in the Champions League and even win it.
The story could have been very different though, as Blackburn Rovers were unbelievably close to signing the player from Nottingham Forest. Blackburn was the team that had the financial power in that era, with Jack Walker pumping money into his beloved team. They had used that power to sign Alan Shearer from under the noses of Manchester United the year before and now they were about to sign the most promising midfielder around in Roy Keane.
Ewood Park admin staff had gone home
The Blackburn manager Kenny Dalglish wanted Keane to join his Lancashire team and personal terms were agreed. All that was left was the contract to sign. This is where the problem arose. Dalglish rang the administration office at Ewood Park but all the staff had left for the day, so he could not get a contract for Keane to sign. Dalglish explained the problem to Keane and said they would sign it on the coming Monday after shaking hands on the deal.
This was all that Ferguson needed to steal a march on Dalglish. Probably fuelled with the desire to get one up over his old Scottish adversary, Ferguson contacted Keane and after finding out he had not put pen to paper yet, he made his move. Keane’s family were United through and through and from the moment Ferguson got on the phone, Keane needed no persuasion to join the Old Trafford club. The rest is history.
