Roy Keane admits he’s apologised to Man United star, it’s an important message

Roy Keane has admitted that he has apologised to one Manchester United star for going too far in his criticism.

Playing for Manchester United means that you will be at the forefront of media attention when things are going good and when they’re going bad.

Harry Maguire has experienced the worst of that situation, with the centre-back becoming the brunt of the club’s criticism in recent seasons.

The defender improved his performance levels during the 2023/24 campaign under Erik ten Hag, but he was brutally criticised and even abused during the seasons prior.

While many points are directed at form on the pitch, there was far too much senseless abuse that even led to Maguire receiving a bomb threat to his home in April 2022.

Roy Keane has never been shy of criticising players for their performances on the pitch, but he believes that his prior criticism of Maguire crossed a line and makes an important point that you should never get personal with criticism.

The former United captain also admitted that he apologised to Maguire earlier this year.

“I was harsh on Maguire. You try and keep it for footballing reasons, and obviously, I did a lot of United matches, and he’d struggled at United,” said Keane on the latest Stick to Football podcast.

“But also, you’re on about the mental health of players. And I definitely crossed the line with Harry Maguire. I definitely did. We’d done a game one time, and I mocked him a little bit.

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“But listen, you cross the line with a player, and you know it’s not nice. And I played the game, I know how hard it is, but I’m also big enough, I bumped into Harry a few months ago, and I’ve apologised to him.

“Sometimes we get around, we’re pundits, and listen, we’d like to be set high standards for when we played. But yeah, I agree, I think there is a point where you go, if it’s personal, then you’re crossing the line.”

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