Roy Keane once told Shay Given to “knock him out” if he became a pundit

"If you ever see me doing punditry, you can knock me out."

Roy Keane is probably the most famous pundit in football right now, but his former teammate Shay Given reveals that he wasn't always so keen on the profession. When you think back to Keane's playing days, he was probably the last person that you would have predicted to embrace the TV world so easily. Many thought that his harsh comments, and famous short temper would prevent him from having any success in media, but it did the opposite. The Irishman's brutal honesty and hilarious one-liners have made him box office to watch, and Given is just as surprised as the rest of us. "I could see his funny side, he was always had that side to him," Given told LeoVegas. "If people who knew him, or played with him, or were close enough to him, could see that side to him always.

"But he has the death stare in the bag as well. People maybe seen more of that, those who weren't playing with him, or the opposition, or even some fans at times. "He once said to me 'if you ever see me doing punditry, you can knock me out' because he didn't like the pundits and stuff that used to talk about him.

"What I would say, is he is to the point, he's cutting, some pundits really go to the bone, and I'm not of that opinion, because I know I made mistakes myself and I think there's a way of saying things. "You know, you would be disappointed if you conceded a bad goal as a keeper, or you should have finished that chance or whatever - Roy would just go 'that's terrible, my granny would have saved that.' "He goes all in, and it's box office, because he had such a brilliant career, and he's doing brilliant, every time he speaks he's headline news. "That's his personality, and he's going with it - it's not controversial because he's just telling home truths, and I think that's important as well because some young people and people who have too much too soon in the Premier League - I think he takes them down a peg or two at times, and can be quite cutting. "But as a player, you maybe have to distance yourself from some comments that he might say." Related links:

• "I was just trying to be humble!" Roy Keane almost talks himself out of City and United dream team
• Roy Keane "sick" of having the same two complaints about Man United
• Shay Given on new Ireland jersey and the worst kit he's ever had to wear