Roy Keane: ‘It’s good to be back’

With Mick McCarthy no longer in the picture, Brian Kerr brought Keane back into the fold against Romania in May, 2004

“My first game back was a friendly against Romania, at Lansdowne Road. We won 1-0; Matty Holland scored.

“It was good to be back, really, really emotional.

“I’d always loved the bus journey to the games. Kid waving flags - I used to love all that. And the rebel songs on the bus - I enjoyed the; it was tradition.

“We were on the bus going to Lansdowne, and we got stuck in a bit of traffic. I was sitting by the window and there was a young kid outside, looking up.

“And he said ‘Welcome back.’

“It was like he’d been planted there. I said to myself, ‘It’s good to be back.’”

On his relationship with Wayne Rooney

“I probably didn’t warm to him as much as I had to Ronaldo. Wayne was a bit more streetwise; he was a Scouser. The only time I had a disagreement with Wayne, it had nothing to do with a pass he should have given me, or a tactical switch.

“We were in a hotel, the Friday night before a game. I was into rugby league and there was a big game on. I went to the toilet, came back and someone had changed the channel to something else. A few of the players were sitting there, giggling away.

“I said ‘Where’s the rugby league?’ I knew Wayne was up to something. I could tell by his face. I said ‘Where’s the remote control?’ He said ‘I don’t know’. I said ‘You fuckin’ do’. I didn’t exactly storm out but I couldn’t be bothered trying to get the remote control back, so I decided I’d watch the rest of the match up in my room.

“I came down the next morning and, obviously, I’m very good at letting things go - and Wayne was brave enough to come up to me. ‘Did you ever find the remote control, Roy?’ I think I told him to go and fuck himself. It was the only disagreement I ever had with him.

“I think he later claimed in one of his books - he has a deal to write 10 - that I sent a security man to his room to get the remote control, but that’s bullshit.”

On assuming the Manchester United captaincy

“When I became captain of United, I knew if I made a balls of it I’d have no one to blame except myself.

"I'd learnt from Cantona, Stuart Pearce, Robbo, Brucie. I found the off-the-field responsibilities - tickets, the creches for the kids, paying for Christmas dos - a pain in the arse. But it had to be done, and people expected you to do it.

“I organised a Santa Claus one Christmas, and I noticed - when it was too late and the pictures were being taken - that Santa had tattoos on his knuckles. It wasn’t one of my better moves.”