Premier League referee insists he found Roy Keane "a pleasure" to handle

A former Premier League referee has claimed Roy Keane was a “pleasure” to handle despite his fearsome reputation as a player.

The Manchester United legend is best remembered for his passion and determination in the middle of the park which occasionally crossed the line. That, along with his hard-tackling, resulted in the Irishman becoming renowned as a no-nonsense hard-man.

But retired Irish referee Dermot Gallagher, who refereed Premier League matches from 1992 to 2007, has rubbished the image of Keane as an abrasive figure. When asked what it was like to referee Keane, the 63-year-old likened the ex-Red Devils skipper’s attitude to his own.

Gallagher told 101GreatGoals: “It was a pleasure to be honest, because he had a similar attitude to me. He wanted to be the best, he wanted to do the best, and without doubt he wouldn’t settle for anything other than the best.

“And I was the same, believe it or not, I always wanted to do my best. Whilst I will openly admit that not every game did, I achieved my best, it wasn’t for the want of trying my best, and that was the secret.

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“Whatever happened, I never left the field thinking: I wish I would have given that 5% more.”

Keane was involved in a number of on-field controversies during his 12 years with Man United. He notably got into scraps with Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira, Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer and ended Alf-Inge Haaland’s career with a gruesome tackle.

He was sent off a total of 13 times in his career, and his temper once famously even shocked a United psychologist. Yet the former midfielder has shown the public a different side to his personality since his work as a pundit, regularly showcasing his dry banter alongside the upbeat Micah Richards on Sky Sports.

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