It’s now been over ten years since David Gill departed Manchester United.
Gill was the best CEO Manchester United have seen in the club’s history. He was efficient in the transfer market, had a great relationship with the squad and the manager – and ultimately, brought a wealth of success, good times and trophies to Old Trafford.
During his time at Carrington, he saw a lot of legendary players come and go. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and so many more.
But none may be more iconic than that of Manchester United’s greatest-ever captain – Roy Keane.
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Why did Roy Keane leave Manchester United?
Roy Keane’s departure from Manchester United in 2005 shocked the footballing world.
The move came from a culmination of various factors, but mainly a breakdown in his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson.
The situation escalated during the 2005-2006 season, with Keane openly criticizing his teammates’ performances and questioning the club’s transfer policy in a controversial interview with MUTV.
Following this incident, Keane was fined and ultimately left out of the squad for an important match against Blackburn Rovers. This led to a heated exchange between Keane and Ferguson, resulting in the termination of Keane’s contract by mutual consent.
There were also reports of Keane’s declining physical condition and the belief that he was becoming increasingly disruptive within the dressing room. Combined with his high wage demands and the emergence of younger players, such as Darren Fletcher, who could potentially fill his role, Manchester United, and Ferguson, decided to part ways with their long-serving captain.
David Gill on Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson
The former Manchester United Chief Executive sat down with Rio Ferdinand on FIVE to discuss all things about his time at Old Trafford. This included the situation with Keane and Ferguson, where he shared some all-new insight.
“It was a difficult situation, he did the [MUTV] interview and the decision was made to go there and then,” Gill begins.
“It was probably the right decision at the time, very quick, you had to move on, the team was struggling a bit at the time, so he wanted to make that decision.
“I have said this to Alex, one of my regrets is they were both so great for each other that to see them fall out was a pity. He was a fantastic captain and they meant a lot to each other and for that to break down was difficult.
“You’ve got two winning, two highly motivated individuals to bear in mind and it comes to that. We should celebrate what Roy did for the team as he was fantastic for many years.”
So although Gill doesn’t regret the decision for Keane to leave, he regrets the decision for the two to have bad blood.
- READ MORE: David Gill explains why Man Utd’s post-Fergie transfer strategy has failed, Ten Hag also guilty
Will Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson ever make up?
Gill was then asked by Rio as to whether Sir Alex and Keane would reconcile, to which he responded:
“I can’t speak for them, you know them as well as I do Rio, I’d like to say so but you wouldn’t think so at the moment but let’s see.”
We sincerely hope so. Two legends of the game who did so much for each other should be celebrating the memories they shared – not ultimately how they were tarnished.
However, with the notoriously stubborn nature of both parties, this is easier said than done.
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