Roy Keane speaks about the pundit he found difficult to work alongside

"Forget it."

Roy Keane has been speaking about the tension he felt while on punditry duty with Alan Shearer. The pair were rivals during their playing career, and were involved in a high-profile dispute during a match between Manchester United and Newcastle United. They worked together on the BBC for an FA Cup tie between Arsenal and Man United back in 2015. However, it appears that there was still tension between them from their playing days.

Roy Keane on the tension between him and Alan Shearer on punditry duty.

During the Overlap Live, alongside Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, Keane was asked by a member of the audience about any pundits who he has worked alongside who he had fallen out with during their playing days.

"Have you entered a studio, been introduced to the other pundits and then thought, 'it might pop off here,' based on beef from your playing days?"

"Yeah, a few times. Most weeks really!" Keane joked. "No, there’s one or two I've done games with where it was... We couldn’t get over that hurdle of what happened in the past.” After being encouraged to name names by the live audience, Keane eventually revealed the identity of the pundit. "Shearer... Forget it," he said. The presenter then suggested that Keane and Shearer could settle their differences in a celebrity boxing match. Neville joked that the former England captain would beat Keane in the bout. The Irishman, who was an amateur boxer in his younger years, agreed that he would probably lose the bout, as he is older than Shearer. (The former Newcastle striker, however, is a year older than Keane).

Roy Keane and Alan Shearer.

Back in 2001, Keane was sent-off in the final minutes of his team’s 4-3 loss to Newcastle at St James' Park. The Man United captain and the Newcastle captain became involved in a heated argument as Keane tried to take a throw-in. Keane threw the ball at Shearer before words were exchanged. The Irishman then swung a punch at his opponent and missed and the referee showed Keane a red card. After the game, Shearer said that the United midfielder was waiting for him but the pair were kept apart. It appears that the tension between the former rivals remains, even in the more relaxed environment of a TV studio. You can watch the Overlap Live below, with the section about Shearer and Keane beginning at around the 34-minute mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wb3U8NGw34&t=8s&ab_channel=TheOverlap Related links.

• Alan Shearer reveals what Roy Keane had planned for him after his infamous red card.
• “It didn't fall into place last week. It wasn't meant to be" - Roy Keane on his failed talks with Sunderland.
• 'Well done, Wrighty' - Roy Keane visibly moved by 'powerful' Ian Wright interview on ITV.

First published February 22, 2022.