Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer has discussed the incident against Manchester United where he was elbowed by Roy Keane
Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer has offered to resolve the two-decade-long feud with Roy Keane – but admits he was left “disappointed” by a recent remark from the former Manchester United midfielder.
McAteer and Keane were teammates at international level with the Republic of Ireland but the ex-United skipper was involved in a high-profile spat with then-manager Mick McCarthy in the build-up to the 2002 World Cup. The pair were later involved in a bust-up on the pitch during Sunderland’s clash with the Red Devils at the Stadium of Light, which saw Keane sent off for an elbow on McAteer.
During a recent segment of the Stick to Football podcast, with Gary Neville which features Keane, the former midfielder claimed that his international teammate was a deserved recipient of the elbow. Both Keane and McAteer have been embroiled in a long-running feud since the incident in the build-up to the World Cup that saw the Premier League winner stay at home ahead of the South Korea-Japan competition.
“The Premier League starts and he’s kicking s*** out of Mikey Holland, players like that, venting his frustration at the Irish players then he comes to the Stadium of Light,” McAteer said speaking on the Undr the Cosh podcast. “His book had just come out and someone had put his book on my place, I asked one of the kids to stand outside the dressing room and get it signed by him.
“He come in, me and him had it in the middle of the park – I ran off him for the equaliser which I don’t think he liked. I remember smashing one from 30 yards and the ‘keeper saved it, it went off in the middle of the park, I pulled him back and he elbowed me.
“He was telling me he was going to rip my head off, this and that, and I just give him that (speaking hand gesture). He said something and I just said: ‘put it in your next book, I’m sure I’ll read about it d*******’.
