Roy Keane was one of the most driven and influential midfielders of his generation, a fierce competitor whose leadership defined Manchester United’s dominance around the turn of the millennium. A box-to-box dynamo with an insatiable will to win, he combined tenacity in the tackle with intelligent, incisive passing.
He first made his name at Nottingham Forest before becoming the on-field embodiment of United under Alex Ferguson, captaining the side to a succession of Premier League titles and driving them relentlessly through their treble-winning era. Captain too of the Republic of Ireland, he was as demanding of himself as of those around him, a leader whose intensity became the stuff of legend.