The one and only time Roy Keane backed down from a confrontation at Manchester United

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has made a name for himself for never backing down from a fight no matter who it was.

He tussled with Patrick Vieira on many an occasion on the pitch, had fiery arguments with his long-time manager Sir Alex Ferguson and then a bitter feud with former Stoke City striker Jon Walters during his role as assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national team.

He might have mellowed these days but you still get the impression that he quite enjoys conflict.

However, there was one instance where Keane walked away from a potential clash and that was when Darren Moore, former West Brom manager, was involved.

Moore was playing for Barnsley in a 2-1 win over Keane's Ipswich Town side in October 2009.

The man mountain of a centre-back was fouled in the build-up to the winning goal and that led to a sarcastic comment from Keane in the Oakwell tunnel after the game.

The former Jamaica international got in Keane's face and according to ex-Barnsley defender Stephen Foster, the former Manchester United skipper didn't quite fancy it and was made to look very small in the scuffle.

"Going into the tunnel, Keane barged in and muttered something under his breath as Mooro was walking past," Foster told TheStar.co.uk, as per Pundit Arena.

"Mooro gave him a chance to change his mind. He stopped dead and asked him to repeat himself. Roy said, 'You go down easy for a big man, don't you?'

"Well, Mooro's face. He didn't say a thing, he just turned around, squared up to him and just stood there, looking down on him.

"Keane just shrank in Mooro's shadow. It was the first and only time I'd seen or heard of Roy looking that way, he's obviously a tough bloke. There was a little bit of a scuffle, no real fighting. But Roy certainly regretted muttering those words to Mooro as he walked past."

Moore clashed with Keane while at Barnsley (Image: Alamy)

Moore was about four inches taller than Keane and built like a unit, so you can understand why Keane reconsidered his approach.

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer also had a high-profile spat with Keane, who was sent off for swinging at him back in 2001.

"Scared of him? Why would you be scared of Roy Keane?" said Shearer in a recent interview with UMM. "His bark is worse than his bite. I wouldn't back off with Roy Keane then and I wouldn't back off with him now."

Topics: Roy Keane, Manchester United, Premier League

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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