Why Manchester United legend left the club?

Roy Keane insists it was only his decision to appeal a fine that led to his Manchester United departure. 

Then club captain, Keane left Old Trafford in acrimonious fashion in 2005, following a controversial interview with MUTV about a 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough when he criticised the performance of a number of his teammates. 

Although the interview was pulled, tensions had been brewing between Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson , and the midfielder had his contract cancelled in November 2005, and the following month he was confirmed as a Celtic player. 

But Keane now insists that his exit from United was not to do with a row with Ferguson, but instead cited his decision to appeal the £5,000 fine he received for doing the interview.

He told the Limerick Leader : “The only reason I ended up leaving Man United was I appealed a £5,000 fine. 

“If I hadn’t appealed the fine I wouldn’t have left Man United.

“Don’t be brainwashed by the propaganda and lies. It is peanuts, you get fined that for being late for training at United.

"Have I stepped out of line? Damn right I have.

“Man United fined me about £500,000 over my career but that is because I was sent off and I always held my hands up.

“Ironically when I appealed a £5,000 fine that’s when I left the club.

“I wished they played this video — it is propaganda: ‘We had to destroy it’.

“How do you even destroy a video?

“I left with my head held up high, I was fine with my actions, I always felt my intentions were to do the best for Man United.

“I appealed because I felt I shouldn’t have been fined for speaking about a match on the club station.”