‘I was right’ - Roy Keane blasts ‘idiots’ during fiery Sunderland spell as he wades in on Man Utd fracas

Former Sunderland manager and Manchester United legend Roy Keane has branded players he fell out with during his fiery spell in the North East as 'idiots'.

The no-nonsense Irishman took his first managerial job at the Stadium of Light in 2006 and ruled with an iron fist for two years, taking the club back into the Premier League from the Championship in that time and winning multiple Manager of the Month awards.

Keane's time with the Black Cats didn't come without controversy. One day stars Tobias Hysen, Martin Fulop and Anthony Stokes were left out of a matchday squad for failing to turn up for the bus on time. Other anecdotes include the former midfielder kung-fu kicking a tactics board, swearing at players and training ground fallouts.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane thought back to his management strategy in light of the high-profile spat between Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and winger Jadon Sancho - the player claimed to be a 'scapegoat' when publicly shamed for his training performances by the Red Devils boss, who now awaits an apology to welcome the Englishman back into the side.

Keane said: “I don’t think I ever did anything wrong [to require an apology]. Maybe when I was sent off, I must've said ‘sorry lads’. I must’ve said sorry in the dressing room after if I'd been sent off, and I would have no problem. Jokes aside, If I'd done something wrong, apologising, absolutely no problem.”

“I fell out with a few [players, while managing]. I didn’t banish them, but I fell out with lads when I was manager of Sunderland, Ipswich, when I was working with Martin [O’Neill] at Ireland. I look back and I analyse it, and I was convinced – and I still am – that I was right.

“The lads that I fell out with were idiots who never did anything with their lives or their careers afterwards, so that gives me a bit of comfort. No one's ever proved me wrong on that side of it. I have pulled players in, and you would have discussions and arguments, but players can be wrong obviously.”

“Action [is leadership] – what you do on the training pitch, how you lead yourself around the training ground, how you speak to staff, how you speak to your teammates. Leadership is about action.

"Training is key for me. It’s about how you train. I find it hard to have a conversation about a player who doesn’t train properly. I just cannot understand it, I'm not even up for that type of debate.”