Ferguson defends red-card Keane

Sir Alex Ferguson tonight jumped to the defence of Roy Keane after the Manchester United midfielder was sent off for apparently elbowing Jason McAteer against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The United skipper appeared to strike McAteer in injury time after a heated tussle throughout the clash and referee Uriah Rennie reached for the red card.

Ferguson told Sky Sports News said: “I do not think he swung an elbow – he put an arm across his face.

“If the referee deems it a sending-off I do not know what we can do.

“The player [McAteer] went down quickly which is disappointing.

“We will see [what the] offence is but my gut feeling is it was very soft.

“The ref did not act (on a previous incident in the match) when he [Keane] was kicked in the back as seen on TV.

“I think if people see it then they will judge it – it was an innocuous incident.”

It is the latest in a series of incidents to blight Keane, who is waiting to hear whether the Football Association will charge him for bringing the game into disrepute after comments made in his recently published autobiography.