Roy Keane is a leader, not a number 2, says ‘Guvnor’ Paul Ince

When the call came from Alex Ferguson, Paul Ince was on the golf course playing against Ryan Giggs.

“One up on the 16th,” he still likes to point out, even though the incident happened all of 20 years ago. His manager was waiting for him in the clubhouse with the news that, with Nicky Butt on the rise, Manchester United had decided to accept a bid from Inter Milan for the self-styled ‘Guvnor’. But later, according to Ince, Ferguson had a change of heart.

“On the day I left, he actually rang me from Colorado Springs and said, ‘I’ve made a mistake, I want you to stay’. But I had (Inter president) Massimo Moratti in my kitchen — true story — about to sign a five-year deal. I said, ‘No, sorry boss, I’ve got people here from Inter Milan.’ It was all done and dusted.”

Ince’s departure from Old Trafford was deemed quite controversial at the time but he maintains now that it never adversely affected his relationship with Ferguson.

“People have this perception after I left to go to Inter Milan that we didn’t get on well but we got on really well, more so when I started managing,” he reveals. “He used to ring me up, we used to meet for coffee. And I still talk to him.”

Would that the same could be said of Ince’s old midfield partner Roy Keane and the same Alex Ferguson.

“That’s nothing to do with me, in all honesty, Keane is Keanie,” says Ince. “And you can achieve much without talking — look at Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham (laughs). It’s true, they never spoke for three or four years but they played together and won many things.

“Roy Keane has – what can I say – an ego. We all had egos at Man United because that’s what made us who we were. We were arrogant because we knew that we were a good team. We had these egos; myself, Peter Schmeichel, Keane, Robson, Cantona. Sometimes it can go pear-shaped, that’s the case with Alex and Roy.

“People always try to guess what Keanie’s like. I have a very good relationship with Roy Keane on and off the park. He does not let people into his head but he was just a fantastic player, a nice guy and very private. I was there for two years with Roy and I never had a row with him. We got on well, we used to go out for a few beers together. We were partners in midfield so you have to have a good relationship with your partner. And what a player, a great, great player.

“When you talk about someone with higher standards, everything has got to be right. Listen, he’s a moaner but we all moan. Sometimes he moans too much. ‘Keane, for f***’s sake, shut up, will you!’ Then he goes off again and you just walk away from him. You have to know how to deal with him (laughs). ”

Ince also believes that Keane still has the right stuff to be a successful manager. “You cannot lose people like him from the game. He knows so much about football.

“Some people love him, some people hate him. He’s got a vast knowledge of football and for him not to be a manager... Roy Keane is not a number two. Roy is a leader of men. You do hear people say ‘Roy rules by fear’. Maybe that’s how he feels he can be a success in what he does — and he did it at Sunderland. I don’t know. You have to be mentally tough to deal with someone like Roy Keane, and if he’s having a go at me and I’m playing for Roy Keane, it’s not a problem — I’ll respond and bounce back. Whatever Roy does he does it to the best of his ability, and he is going to carry on and be a top, top manager.”

Can Ince even see Keane returning to Old Trafford?

“I can, I can. To be Man United manager, you need broad shoulders and be able to take a lot of criticism. Roy has broad shoulders and he is mentally tough. He has a poker face and he doesn’t show if things are affecting him. There is no reason why Roy couldn’t go back to Manchester United.”

Meantime, he is, of course, Ireland’s Number 2.

“Maybe he thinks that when Martin’s done, then he’s the next one to step up,” suggests Ince. “That’s the logic I see in it. Whether Keanie can do that, well... I think he’s one of those people who needs to be in football day to day. So I am not sure. But it would be fantastic if he was Ireland manager, would it not?”