Roy Keane has insisted that he has no regrets over his knee-high tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland in 2001.
Keane produced the tackle during a Manchester Derby in April of that year – four years after Haaland had suggested that the Irishman was feigning what turned out to be a cruciate knee ligament injury in a match against the Norwegian’s Leeds United side.
After the tackle, Haaland completed the game, and started a further two games that season.
He retired from professional football two years after the tackle due to a left knee problem (not the right knee that Keane tackled).
Keane was asked about the tackle by Micah Richards during their new ‘Road to Wembley’ series.
And the former Manchester United captain admitted that he did not intend to injure Haaland, but said he would never apologise for hurting players.
Keane on Haaland tackle
In answer to the suggestion made by Richards that Keane did not mean to injure the Norwegian, he agreed: “No, no of course.
“Did I go to hurt players? Of course I did.
“I’d never apologise for that. And people went to hurt me.
“Honestly, I’m not going to give it the old ‘poor me’ one. I’ve never done anything on a football pitch where I went, ‘Oh my God’.
“And I never, never ever went out to injure a player in my life. Did I go out to hurt players? Course.
“When you go for a ball in the middle of the park there’s a good chance that somebody is going to get hurt.”
Earlier in the episode, Keane had said: “Can I tell you something? I have never regretted anything I have done on a football pitch, never.
“I’ve been sent off and I’ve let my team down.
“To me, I was in the battle with people, I was in the middle of the park.”
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