Bad mouth Roy Keane at your peril.
Not only is the Republic of Ireland assistant manager an imposing figure you simply wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of, but he has a legion of fans who will jump on anything negative you have to say about their enigmatic hero.
Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy is a Manchester United fan himself but was at the receiving end of stick after he had the temerity to admit he wasn’t especially fond of one of the club’s living legends. And all because of a childhood snub.
Speaking to the BBC before the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Fife, McIlroy explained that Keane’s refusal to give him an autograph back in the day had embittered his opinion of the man.
“I went and asked him for his autograph at the Portmarnock Links Hotel and he said ‘no’. I’m sure he’s alright, but it sort of stuck with me ever since,” he explained. “I’ve had it go the other way, where I’ve asked someone for an autograph as a kid and they didn’t give it to me and I’ve never liked them since. So if a kid asks me for an autograph, I always try to do it.”
Both aspects of this comment have been jumped on by United fans, who were quick to share a video of the four-time major champion ignoring an eager young fan asking for his signature.
McIlroy would argue that was an isolated incident, and he could hardly start signing autographs during a round. But the other side of the argument would be Keane have had his reasons too…
https://twitter.com/ManUtd_HQ/status/915885168174485505
