ROY KEANE claimed Andy Cole was worse than him after his former team-mate recalled a story when he fell out with a manager.
The two played for Manchester United and won the Treble in 1999.
Prior to Cole’s switch to Old Trafford he played for Newcastle, scoring 68 goals in 84 games before a shock move to the Red Devils in January 1995, when both teams were going for the title.
Cole, 52, explained he did not ask to leave Toon but was forced out by manager Kevin Keegan, which Keane found amusing.
The former striker said on the Stick to Football podcast: “I never asked to leave, I just had a fall out with the manager.”
“Keane quickly interjected saying: “You’re worse than me!”
Cole then recounted the altercation he had with Keegan that ultimately led to the end of his Newcastle career.
He revealed the former boss could hold grudges, and their relationship was never the same after they butted heads.
Cole continued: “We played Southampton at the Old Dell. After the game we went up to London because we had a League Cup game midweek. I remember we lost the game 2-1. The morning after, we had a warm down.
“The manager greeted me and asked if I was up for it this morning. I was honest with him and said I was a little bit tired, but I was up for it still. He said that if you are not up for you can f*** off. I turned around, had a shower, packed my bag then left.
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“I went missing for a few days and I stayed in London. I was speaking to my agent, and he said I needed to go back to Newcastle. I said to him ‘I am not going back’, but I spoke to Freddy Shepard [Newcastle chairman], and he said we must sort this out.
“I went back up to Newcastle at the end of the week and I had a meeting with Freddy, Terry Mac, Kevin, and a few other people.
“We ended up sorting the situation out and they ended up giving me a new contract. We went to play Wimbledon on that Saturday after resolving the situation and we won 3-0. I thought that was the end of it, but Kevin holds on to things.
“The year later by Christmas he moved me on. He told me, ‘everyone found out about the situation and we must change the way we play, and it’s great that you can move onto a club like Manchester United where you can go and win trophies.’”
