Roy Keane and Gary Neville gobsmacked at pundit's stance on 'childish' transfer demand

Roy Keane labelled Ian Wright "childish" during a heated debate over transfer demands.

The Manchester United legend, who transitioned into management after his playing career ended in 2006, had a successful debut season in charge of Sunderland, leading a struggling team to Championship glory before maintaining their Premier League status in the following season.

However, a disagreement with then-owner Ellis Short led to Keane's departure from the club. It was during this time that he experienced a transfer blunder which sparked a brief spat with Arsenal hero Wright.

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The incident occurred when the panel were discussing David de Gea's move to United from Atletico Madrid in 2011, where De Gea brought his own goalkeeping coach. Keane, 53, related this to a similar situation he faced while managing the Black Cats.

"I remember I tried to sign a player years ago when I was at Sunderland, and part of the deal he wanted to bring his own goalkeeping coach because he had him at the club," Keane shared on the Stick to Football podcast, sponsored by Sky Bet. "They became mates, you see, played golf together and all that.

"I said: 'No,' and he said: 'But I want...', I said: 'No, I've already got a really good goalkeeper coach. Sometimes, actually, it would be good for you to have a different voice to hear.'

"He went: 'No, no', and I said: 'We're not doing the deal.' He wants to bring his goalkeeping coach with him. That's the other issue you have with goalkeepers. They become mates with people."

Wright, 60, evidently took issue with Keane's handling of the situation, and probed him with a question: "Yeah, but Roy... You didn't sign him off the back of that?" Keane was clear in his response: "No, because I had a really good goalkeeper coach; why would I bring another goalkeeping coach?"

Wright then replied: "You're interested in the goalkeeper. You liked him in the first place. You should've got rid of the goalkeeping coach, bring his guy in, yeah?"

The Irishman clapped back, saying: "You're being childish now. You're not being serious, are you? I can't do that, Jesus Christ."

Gary Neville agreed with his former United team-mate, telling Wright: "You can't undermine your goalkeeping coach and sack him just because a goalkeeper wants to bring another goalkeeping coach in."

Keane's managerial career didn't last long. He joined Ipswich Town in 2009, but lasted little over 18 months before being given his marching orders. He hasn't managed a team since, and despite spells as Martin O'Neil's assistant at Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, the Cork native has shifted focus to punditry in the years since.

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