Ferguson told Keane: Stick it out

Roy Keane spoke with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as his frustrations at the Republic of Ireland’s preparations reached boiling point.

‘‘I spoke to my wife, I spoke to Michael Kennedy, his agent, I spoke to Alex Ferguson,’’ Keane told www.ireland.com.

‘‘He’s a good man and he gave me good words of advice. You have to listen to these people.

‘‘The manager has the same temperament as me. He understood what I was going through. He told me to stick it out, but this is it.’’

The 30-year-old midfielder added: ‘‘I knew I had my family to think about back in Ireland. My poor dad, me mam, my three brothers and sisters. It would be all very well for me going back to Manchester. I knew all that.

‘‘I was seeing straight, you know, but I just couldn’t justify myself being here. Not just this trip, there’s the constant, negative criticism over the years chipping away.

‘‘I travelled more than other players because of my commitments to United. That’s not a complaint, it’s just a fact and I just got to a stage where I said ‘I don’t need this.’’’