FORMER Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert claims he once left Roy Keane skint after beating him in a weekly crossbar challenge.
Lambert was appointed Villa manager in 2012 and offered Keane a job as his assistant two years later.
The two quickly found common ground over their love of competition and introduced a new weekly contest with sweet treats on the line.
Speaking on the Undr the Cosh podcast, Lambert revealed he used to beat the Manchester United legend in a crossbar challenge every Friday.
He said: “He’ll tell you himself, I used to beat him every Friday at crossbar challenge.
“He used to buy the doughnuts and cakes, every Friday he was skint!
“He was going to every cake shop in Manchester to get me cakes. We would always have a competition.
“We still laugh about it now but I just liked his mindset and I never felt anything other than, ‘I like the way you think about football’. That’s why I asked him to come.”
Keane left Aston Villa after just four months to focus on his assistant manager job with the Ireland national team.
Discussing his relationship with the ex-United midfielder, Lambert continued: “I never, ever viewed Roy as who he was as a footballer or anything like that.
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“I knew he was a great player but as a person just to talk football, absolutely no worries whatsoever.
“Good guy, good ethos about football and the realism of it.
“He doesn’t try and sugarcoat it as everybody knows but the realism of it, I can relate to it because it’s similar to my sort of thinking, not suffering fools gladly.”
Keane has not been in a management or coaching job since leaving Nottingham Forest in 2019.
He now works as a pundit for Sky Sports and ITV Sport.
ERIK TEN HAG says Manchester United must pay back their world-class fans with an FA Cup triumph after their awful league season, writes Tom Barlcay.
United came eighth which was their lowest-ever finish despite winning 2-0 on the final day at Brighton.
They also came away from a miserable campaign with a negative goal difference – but still can win a trophy when they take on Manchester City in next week’s cup final.
The away fans roared themselves hoarse just as they have done all term despite the poor results.
Boss Ten Hag said: “We have the best fans in the world and I mean this.
“I have never had this experience when you have a season like us, which is by far not good enough, that the supporters are with us.
“They are with us in the bad season and in bad times they are there. I think also they know why the bad times are there.
“But we have to pay them back and we have to do everything to give them a trophy next week but also for the future, we have to perform better.”
United won thanks to late goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund.
But for the second game running, Hojlund began the match on the bench as United opted for a false nine – in a hint over how United will set up in the cup final.
That was how they played in March’s 3-1 defeat to City at the Etihad in the league, too.
Ten Hag added: “It’s a luxury problem. Both formations can be a success because we can set up like we did at the Etihad where we were a threat with movement in behind.
“But of course with Rasmus Hojlund in this form it’s absolutely a consideration and a thought that we have to consider.
“You need not only 11 players in a tough final but a bench as well.”
Hojlund’s tally now stands at 16 goals in his maiden season after the 21-year-old arrived from Atalanta for £72million last summer.
Reflecting on the Dane’s campaign, Ten Hag observed: “It could always be better but don’t forget he had three injuries this season.
“He came in with the injury, missed the start, then he got injured before winter and then he got injured after winter. So every time that broke his rhythm and if you then shoot 16 goals for the first season it’s OK. And it’s not over, we have to play the FA Cup final.”
