Former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe has revealed that, while Roy Keane was a ‘psychopath’ on the pitch, he was actually a lot less serious than people might think.
The pair were team-mates at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson in the 1990s and enjoyed great success together.
And despite Keane’s reputation as an uncompromising, no-nonsense character – Sharpe claims there is a side to the Irishman not many people are aware of.
“I went out drinking with him from time to time, sat next to him at the training ground, and a lot of people don’t realise Keane was one of the funniest players in the dressing room,” Sharpe told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast.
“He loved a laugh and a joke. Some of his jokes were a little bit cutting to some people, but that was by-the-by.
“Then once he crossed the white line, he was an absolute psychopath. His nickname in the dressing room was ‘schizo’, which probably sums him up.
“I’ve never had a fall out with him. I love him to bits. He was just a monster to have in your team.”
And Keane isn’t the only misunderstood character in United folk law – Sharpe’s experiences of the iconic Eric Cantona are not what you might expect either.
The Frenchman often journeyed between the brilliant and the bizarre, scoring magical goals but never shying away from controversy.
He infamously kung-foo kicked a Crystal Palace fan at Selhurst Park, but Sharpe insists the incident was out-of-character.
He added: “Eric came to the club with the reputation of being a bit of a troublesome soul.
“We didn’t see a lot of that. He was one of the boys, came on lads’ days out, laughed and joked in the dressing room.
“He never caused any problems until we got to Selhurst Park and the Crystal Palace day. That was a pretty special one.
“We used to say he was Fergie’s long-lost love child.”
