Keane: I was angry but I didn't hit youth

Manchester United captain Roy Keane today described in court the moment he confronted a teenager he claimed was taunting him.

The Irish international, who is accused of assaulting the youngster, admitted he was angry with him after he called him a “wanker”.

But he repeatedly denied manhandling the youth despite the taunts.

Keane, 33, was giving evidence at Trafford Magistrates Court, Greater Manchester, where he is on trial, accused of grabbing the 16-year-old student by the neck and shouting in his face after clashing with him outside his home.

The teenager has admitted making a “wanker gesture” to Keane as he rode past the footballer on a moped.

Keane confronted the lad when he spotted him a few weeks later outside his £1.4m (€2m) mansion in Hale, Cheshire, last September.

Standing in the witness box with his hands clasped in front of him, Keane spoke quietly to deny any physical assault on the youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The court has been told that after exchanging words with the teenager, Keane walked away with his dogs.

But once the footballer had left, the teenager said to his friend “what a wanker” – and Keane overheard the remark and returned.

He is alleged to have grabbed the youngster around his neck while shouting at him with his forehead against the youngster’s.

Keane took the oath on the Bible and told the court he had been a professional footballer all his life and for the last 12 years had played for Manchester United.

Keane denied lashing out with a walking stick when he first saw the two youths as they initially drove past him.

And in the second incident weeks later, he again denied physically manhandling the teenager.

“I walked towards him and asked him if he gave me a hand gesture a couple of weeks earlier,” Keane said.

“I just wanted to ask him to see if it was him and ask why he had done it.

“He said along the lines of ’you tried to knock me off my bike’.

“I was quite surprised, I think I might have said ’no I didn’t’.

“I basically said I was not a wanker and I did not try to knock you off your bike and something along the lines of watch your mouth.”

Keane was asked by his barrister, Stuart Denney, if he had thrown a mock punch at the youngster’s face, his fist stopping just before contact.

Keane said that had not happened.

After walking away, he said he overheard a remark from the teenager to his friend saying “what a wanker”.

Keane said he went back to speak to the lad to “nip it in the bud” because on occasion he walked his dogs with his young family.

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Peter McNaught, the footballer was asked about the media spotlight and attracting attention while relaxing, walking with his dogs.

“It’s part of the trade,” said Keane.

The player said he had spoken to the boy in a “polite and calm” way about the swearing.

In a statement to police read out in court, Keane said the lad was “quite lippy to say the least, saying ’get out of my face, get walking your dogs’, just giving lip basically.”

Mr McNaught asked why he decided to go back to the lad after overhearing the “what a wanker” remark.

“Just to have another word with him, give him another warning,” Keane replied.

“What warning?” the prosecutor asked.

“Along the lines of watch your mouth,” Keane replied.

Mr McNaught asked “what were you going to do if he did not watch his mouth?”

“I’m not sure, telephone the police, along those lines,” Keane said.

He admitted he was “just a little bit angry”.

Mr McNaught said: “This 16-year-old youth a few weeks ago calls you a wanker.

“You have gone across to speak to him and he wouldn’t answer your question. Then he called you a wanker again. Just a little bit angry?”

“Just a touch,” Keane replied.

The footballer denied losing his temper and throwing a punch or grabbing the youngster’s neck.

He also denied snapping a neck chain belonging to the youngster during the incident.

Keane is charged with one count of common assault, a public order offence and criminal damage to the value of £2.99 (€4.30) over the broken neck chain.

District Judge Paul Richardson was due to consider his verdict at the conclusion of the evidence later today.