Roy Keane nearly joined Everton when he left Manchester United but for ‘Bizarre’ reason
Roy Keane has admitted that he could have joined Everton when he left Manchester United but didn’t due to a “bizarre” reason.
The legendary midfielder left Old Trafford after a row with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2005 and eventually moved to Celtic on a free transfer after his contract was ripped up despite being captain.
And Keane has revealed while appearing on the Stick to Football podcast (10 January), that he spoke to Everton and David Moyes about a move but felt he couldn’t play for another English club despite being “forced out”.
“I think it would have been impossible for me to play for another club,” Neville said. “Once I got to around 32 I was retiring. Do you know what I mean? I don’t think I would’ve been able to.”
Keane then interrupted and admitted that he spoke to Everton at the time of leaving Manchester United, but felt he couldn’t play for another English club.
“If I had that option lads, remember I spoke to Everton, Bolton and a couple of other teams, and again I had that mindset,” he said.
“Which is crazy really because the club is forcing you out of the door and you feel you can’t sign for another team.
“Everton would’ve been a good move for me at the time. The location, the family, obviously Everton and David Moyes, huge respect for him. But you end up like, and obviously Celtic was another option and it was great, but I felt I couldn’t go to another English team.
“Isn’t that bizarre? When they’re forcing you out.”
Wow
What a signing Roy Keane would have been back in 2005, when Moyes had the team competing for Champions League places and we were lacking that know how.
Obviously that year the team secured fourth place but missed out on a Champions League spot because Liverpool won the tournament in Istanbul.
But with Keane in the team we would have had a natural born leader coming in with experience of playing at the very highest level and being successful, which could have been transformational for the club.
Obviously he ended up at Celtic and suffered badly with injuries before retiring, so it looks like a bullet dodged in hindsight but had he stayed in England it could have been a totally different story.
It’s another one of those great “what if” moments for this brilliant football club, and shows why Everton are so highly regarded in the football world even after so many years without any trophies.
In other Everton news, Brazil and McCoist tip Arsenal to move for another Everton star after Onana interest.