Roy Keane was one of the most difficult players I ever refereed – he was in my face before I got the yellow card out

ROY KEANE has mellowed out in retirement and is a far cry from the heavy-hitting midfielder who frequently had run-ins with the referee.

Former Premier League official Kevin Lynch has recalled how he and Keane didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye.

Speaking on the Under the Cosh podcast, he said: “Two of the most difficult players I ever refereed were Roy Keane and Ian Wright.

“I just don’t think Roy liked referees, and in fairness we didn’t f***ing like Roy Keane so it was a fairly balanced equation.

“I remember refereeing him one night at Old Trafford, and he were obviously out of sorts with himself, the opposition, his own team-mates and me.

“And he’s kicking anything that moves and he’s giving me earache.

“I tried talking to him, that were like trying to plait fog.

“So I thought, ‘Right, Roy. Next one’s mine’.”

Lynch was able to recount one particular situation in the game against Stoke.

He explained how Keane had “chipped this little fella into Row Z of the Stretford End” with a crunching tackle.

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But before he was even able to issue a caution, Keane was back in his face complaining.

He said: “Before I can get the yellow card out, Keane’s up [and] is suddenly in my face. And he looked at me and says, ‘Do you know who I f*****g well am?'”

Lynch added that during the protest team-mate Gary Neville walked past, prompting a hilarious response from the United legend.

He continued: “And as he said that, Gary Neville were walking past.

“And I said, ‘Gary, there’s a player here who don’t know who he is!’

“And Gary says, ‘It’s Roy Keane, book the t**t.'”

Keane, a seven-time Premier League champion, holds the joint-record for the most red cards in English football with 13, 11 of which came with Man Utd.

However, the seven he got for the Red Devils in the Prem places him second behind Patrick Vieira and Richard Dunne.