Former Manchester United chief David Gill has admitted that one of his ‘only regrets’ from his time at the club was the infamous fallout between Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Gill, United’s CEO during the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson, sat down with former United defender Rio Ferdinand on his FIVE YouTube channel.
During which, one of the topics discussed was Keane’s departure from the club in 2005 and the breakdown in relationship with Ferguson.
Keane enjoyed an illustrious spell at United, making over 400 appearances for the club and winning an array of trophies, including the treble in 1999.
However, Keane’s time at United ended unexpectedly early after he criticised his team-mates on the club’s television channel MUTV and that led to him clashing with Ferguson in the manager’s office.
Former Manchester United chief David Gill has admitted that one of his ‘only regrets’ from his time at the club was the infamous fallout between Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson
Gill, United’s CEO during the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson , sat down with former United defender Rio Ferdinand on his FIVE YouTube channel .
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Reflecting on the breakdown between the two, Gill recalled: ‘I’ve said this to Sir Alex [Ferguson].
‘One of my only regrets is that they were so great for each other, and to see them fallout – I think it’s a pity.
‘I obviously feel that. He was a fantastic captain, and for that [Ferguson/Keane relationship] to break down, was very difficult.
‘You’ve got two winning and highly motivated individuals of their own mind, and it’s come to that. We should celebrate what Roy Keane did for the team. He was fantastic for many, many years.’
Back in 2005, Keane was heavily critical of United’s performance in a 4-1 defeat against Middlesbrough and didn’t hold back in his assessment of the likes of Ferdinand, John O’Shea, Alan Smith, Kieran Richardson and Darren Fletcher.
United manager Ferguson was furious with Keane’s comments and stopped the footage from being broadcast.
Ferdinand revealed that Ferguson called the team into his office to watch the video, which led to tensions rising further between the manager and his coaching staff and Keane.
Ferdinand stated that Ferguson subsequently told the squad that Keane would not play for the club again. Indeed, the midfielder departed United two weeks later and ended up signing for Celtic.
Keane enjoyed much success at United but Ferguson had no hesitation in axing him
Rio Ferdinand once recalled how the United squad were left shocked by Ferguson’s decision to axe Keane in 2005
Elsewhere on the podcast, Gill outlined how Omar Berrada, who has spent a decade at Manchester City and worked at Barcelona before that, can make an immediate impact in his role as chief executive.
For Gill, there are three key areas that should be top of any to-do list.
‘Firstly, I think appointing someone from outside is a good idea, someone with new ideas and a new perspective coming from a very successful club,’ Gill told Ferdinand.
‘[My advice would be to] really focus in with Dave Brailsford and those on the recruitment and negotiation side, really understand that. Get the focus back on that, get it working better to deliver the players.
‘We have just negotiated an extension with adidas, a great deal there, and we’ve got sponsors coming in all the time so that is working pretty well. But if you align that with a team performance you’re doing even better.’
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