Sir Alex Ferguson offers olive branch to Roy Keane having hardly spoken in 20 years since he was sacked by Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised Roy Keane’s performance against Juventus in Manchester United’s 1999 Champions League campaign in his new memoir, revisiting one of the defining moments of their partnership despite their longstanding estrangement.

The book, Games of My Life, examines 21 matches that held particular significance across Ferguson’s career, including United’s comeback against Juventus at the Stadio Delle Alpi.

“I know Roy isn’t an attention-seeker and shrugs off the praise that others heap on him,” Ferguson wrote. “He poured every ounce of his being into that game. It was his greatest night in red. For as long as tales are told about the exploits of United, Roy’s performance amid the smoke flares and drumming of the Stadio Delle Alpi is one that will stay with me for ever and deserves to be passed down through the generations.”

Keane captained United under Ferguson before leaving in November 2005 following a controversial MUTV interview. The pair are understood to have had little contact since Keane’s subsequent spell as Sunderland manager. The former midfielder has previously criticised Ferguson and named Brian Clough as the best manager he played under. Speaking on Off The Ball, Keane questioned Ferguson’s claim that his decisions were always made in United’s interests.

“Ferguson came out afterwards and said he always did what was best by Manchester United. Nonsense. His son Darren played for the club and won a league medal, very lucky. His brother was the chief scout for Manchester United for a long time. I’m surprised his wife wasn’t involved in the staff somewhere.”

Keane also criticised the recall of United players on loan at Preston North End after Darren Ferguson lost his managerial job there. “Darren was [the manager] at Preston North End and lost his job. He had a couple of young players on loan from Manchester United. Guess what happens the next day? They’re pulled out of Preston. Is that doing the best for Manchester United? Do me a favour.”

He added: “I wouldn’t forgive Ferguson. The media spin, how I apparently upset everybody, it was all nonsense. People talk about Ferguson’s man-management, don’t be kidded on by all of it. I was at the club when Bryan Robson left, when Steve Bruce left, two brilliant servants for Manchester United. And I didn’t like the way they were treated.”

However, Keane acknowledged Ferguson’s clear communication during an appearance on Monday Night Football in 2019. “I loved the simple messages Brian Clough gave me. To be fair Alex Ferguson was the same. I don’t ever remember having a conversation or being given an instruction by Clough or Ferguson and being confused by them.

“It was very straight forward about my own game, the way they looked after me, the way they managed me and when you are a young player you don’t want too many instructions. I see a lot of managers on the sidelines, there’s an obsession with talking and giving instructions. I knew what suited me and that was keep the game simple and be a good team-mate.”