The ex-Manchester United striker and manager has been talking about his relationship with his former team-mate
Roy Keane during his Manchester United days(Image credit: Getty Images)
Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has opened up on his relationship with Roy Keane and recalled why it was bad news if the firey midfielder was not moaning at you.
The pair spent nine-and-a-half seasons together at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson and the mild-mannered Norwegian admits he did have plenty of run-ins with the midfielder.
“When we played we used to have a few fights,” Solskjaer told FourFourTwo. “He demanded 100 per cent every single day. He pushed the players and wanted to count on his team-mates all the time.*
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates his goal for Manchester United against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final. (Image credit: Getty Images)
“The day Roy stopped moaning at you, you knew you were in trouble. It meant he’d given up on you. He never stopped shouting at me, so he saw something in me. When I saw him stop shouting at certain individuals, I used to think, ‘You’re finished, you’re done’. And they usually were.”
With their playing careers now in the rearview mirror, Solskjaer also revealed that the pair are now close friends.
“My relationship with Roy has turned out really well,” he added.
This is evident by the gesture Keane made to ‘cheer up’ Solskjaer after he had been sacked as Manchester United manager in 2021.
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"I knew he was feeling a bit low and thought it'd cheer him up,” Keane told the Stick to Football podcast earlier this year.
"So yeah I drove the eight hours from Oslo to Kristiansand but it was lovely there.
"Out on your little boat too, you looked after us. It was beautiful. Nice and quiet also."
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include tomes on Leeds United and the England national team.
