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Agence France-Presse

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has revealed he once left team-mate Peter Schmeichel with a black eye following a pre-season brawl in Hong Kong, in extracts from his autobiography.
In the book, The Second Half, the former Ireland midfielder also lifts the lid on his acrimonious departure from United in 2005 and criticises Rio Ferdinand over his missed drugs test.
Keane says that the alcohol-fuelled fight with former Denmark international Schmeichel, one of United’s greatest ever goalkeepers, occurred during a pre-season trip to Hong Kong in 1998 - but he means 1997, as United did not come to Hong Kong in 1998. 

“There’d been a little bit of tension between us over the years, for football reasons,” wrote Keane.
“Peter would come out shouting at players, and I felt sometimes he was playing up to the crowd: ‘Look at me!’
Eric Bailly soars on swift return to Manchester United defence; ready for extended run in the team
“He was probably doing it for concentration levels, but I felt he did it too often, as if he was telling the crowd: ‘Look what I have to deal with.’

“He said, ‘I’ve had enough of you. It’s time we sorted this out.’ So I said, ‘OK,’ and we had a fight. It felt like 10 minutes. There was a lot of noise – Peter’s a big lad.
“I woke up the next morning. I kind of vaguely remembered the fight. My hand was really sore and one of my fingers was bent backwards.”
He added: “Butty [Nicky Butt] had refereed the fight. Anyway, Peter had grabbed me, I’d head-butted him – we’d been fighting for ages.”
According to Keane, Schmeichel explained away his black eye at a subsequent press conference by claiming that one of his team-mates had accidentally elbowed him in training.

Keane left United in November 2005 after launching a withering attack on some of his team-mates during an interview with United’s in-house television channel, MUTV, that was never broadcast.
In his book, he says that he learnt of United’s desire for him to leave during a subsequent meeting with then manager Alex Ferguson.
“I said to Ferguson, ‘Can I play for somebody else?’” writes Keane, who is now working as an assistant coach for Aston Villa and the Irish national team.
“And he said, ‘Yeah you can, because we’re tearing up your contract.’ So I thought, ‘All right – I’ll get fixed up.’

“I knew there’d be clubs in for me when the news got out. I said, ‘Yeah, I think we have come to the end.’”
Keane, who eventually joined Celtic before retiring in June 2006, later returned to United to say sorry to Ferguson and his assistant Carlos Queiroz for that infamous MUTV interview, but he now says he regrets the apology.
“Now I kind of wish I hadn’t [apologised]. Afterwards I was thinking, ‘I’m not sure why I f****** apologised.’ I just wanted to do the right thing,” Keane writes.
Keane believes the real reason for his exit was an earlier bust-up with Ferguson and Queiroz, who had accused the midfielder of a lack of loyalty.
“I said, ‘Don’t you f****** talk to me about loyalty, Carlos. You left this club after 12 months a few years ago for the Real Madrid job. Don’t you dare question my loyalty,” Keane writes.
Keane then turned his focus on Ferguson after he stepped in to stop the row.
“You as well gaffer. We need f****** more from you,” Keane claims he said. “We need a bit more, gaffer. We’re slipping behind other teams.”
Keane spent 12 years at United, eight as captain, and won seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the 1999 Champions League.


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Manchester United FC

Roy Keane: I gave fellow Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel a black eye in drunken Hong Kong brawl

Roy Keane and Peter Schmeichel after United's win over South China in 1997. Photo: SCMP

Peter Schmeichel - presumably pre-scrap - throws a ball to a fan in Hong Kong in 1997. Photo: SCMP

Roy Keane and Peter Schmeichel - is a bruise visible under his right eye? - after the game. Photo: SCMP

Bobby Charlton teaches young players in Hong Kong in 1997. Roy Keane says Charlton could have stopped the fight. Photo: SCMP

Roy Keane watches kids play at Sha Tin in 1997. Photo: SCMP

Sport

Football

Former captain lifts lid on departure from Old Trafford


Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane revealed in his book he once left Peter Schmeichel with a black eye following a pre-season brawl in Hong Kong.


Roy Keane: I gave fellow Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel a black eye in drunken Hong Kong brawl

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Former captain lifts lid on departure from Old Trafford

Former captain lifts lid on departure from Old Trafford