Update: Roy Keane’s rivalry with Alan Shearer heats up as his true feelings years on speak volumes News

Manchester United legend Roy Keane was sent off in a fiery encounter with Newcastle in 2001, and the former midfielder has reignited his feud with Alan Shearer

Roy Keane has fuelled his longstanding rivalry with Alan Shearer, admitting that the former Newcastle United forward still “annoys” him.

The ex-Manchester United skipper was providing analysis for Newcastle’s emphatic 4-1 victory over United on Sunday. During the broadcast, Sky Sports host Kelly Cates brought up a memorable encounter in 2001, which saw Keane sent off for an altercation with Shearer.

Reflecting on the incident and what sparked it, Keane revealed his frustration initially stemmed from then-United defender Wes Brown’s own goal, handing Newcastle a notable win. On his reaction against Newcastle, Keane said: “People used to annoy me. One in particular. And he still annoys me”.

Although Shearer’s name wasn’t explicitly mentioned, Keane’s grin implied he was alluding to his old adversary, hinting that he hadn’t quite moved on from their fiery encounters on the field. In that match, which ended in a 4-3 loss for United, Keane was shown the red card for hurling the ball at Shearer’s head as a response to being shoved by the former England captain.

The two then clashed, with Keane attempting another strike at Shearer but missing and instead dislodging the yellow card from the referee’s grip. Throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s, Keane and Shearer, now 54, frequently exchanged heated words during matches.

“I had loads of rucks with him and I wasn’t the only one,” Shearer revealed on the Match of the Day podcast in 2024, discussing the heated moment. “It was a throw-in in the far corner where I stopped him taking an early throw. W

“We were beating them at St. James’ Park and he wanted to take a quick throw-in and he’d been at me all game as he normally was. It was about three or four minutes before the end of the game. I can’t remember exactly what I said, I called him some sort of name.

“He got the red card and I remember having a little smile and thought, ‘I’ve done you [like] a kipper here’. I can’t believe you’ve fallen into that little trap.”

In a lighter vein, when questioned about the most amusing thing someone uttered to him during a match, Shearer responded: “Roy Keane once said that he was going to knock me out.”

Addressing speculation about a potential celebrity boxing match with Keane, the former Blackburn Rovers striker made it clear that he considered himself “too old” for such showdowns.

Despite their fierce rivalry over the years, Shearer has spoken openly of his profound respect for the seven-time Premier League winner. “I did have run-ins but only because of the amount of respect I had for him, because of how much he wanted to win and what a captain he was,” Shearer admitted.

“He epitomises everything about the game, he doesn’t like losing – and rightly so – but that’s what makes him such a great player. Sometimes he loses his temper but if you took that away he wouldn’t be the player he is and I admire him for that.”