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Keanes Profile
Roy at Utd
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| The Football Writers and the Professional Footballers Association's Player of the Year for the 1999-2000 is United's natural successor to Bryan Robson.
A player that can do it all, with simplicity and determination the key to his game, in Keane United have one of the world's best midfielders.
He began his footballing career with Cobh Ramblers before Brian Clough took him to Nottingham Forest as an eighteen-year-old. Clough gave him his debut away at Liverpool and the youngster instantly won many admirers.
In the 1993 close season United paid a then record fee of £3.75 million.
His ball winning skills, drive, determination and late runs into the box to score vital goals have made him an irreplaceable figure in the team's midfield, and Alex Ferguson made him club captain on Eric Cantona's retirement from professional football in 1997.
He spent a season on the sidelines during 1997-8 after sustaining a cruciate knee ligament injury but returned for the triumphant 1998/99 season.
As United reached the climax of that glorious season, Roy enjoyed mixed fortunes. A yellow card in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Juventus forced him to miss the final but he recovered to put in his best-ever display in a United shirt to win United through to Barcelona.
The next season saw him sign a new four-year deal with the club after a lengthy and protracted media saga and he bagged a remarkable twelve goals from his centre-midfield spot during 1999-2000.
Keane is also Captain of Ireland and has represented his country in the 1994 World Cup.
The 2000-1 season saw no lessening of his exploits on the field as United won the title in record time. Off the field his notoriety increased as his remarks about executive fans and his team-mates after United were knocked out of the European Cup saw him hit the headlines. An attempt at mid-air surgery on Manchester City's Alf Inge Haaland sw tabloid newspapers reach fever pitch - a phenomena repeated when he chinned Alan Shearer in United's 4-3 loss at Newcastle early in the 2001-2 season.
Despite this reckless edge, Roy Keane remains the heartbeat of Manchester United and any side in Europe would covet his talents.
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