Keane's Mouth is FOUL!!!

Throughout his career, Roy Keane's robust turn-of-phrase generated almost as many headlines as his performances on the pitch.

Here are some of the verbal highlights, illustrating the qualities that made him such an effective player and captain:

Communication

"I didn't rate you as a player, I don't rate you as a manager, and I don't rate you as a person." -- Keane lets then Ireland boss Mick McCarthy know where he stands before walking out on the squad ahead of the 2002 World Cup.

"You're a fxxxing wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country!" -- Keane makes sure Mick has got the message.

Team-building

"Just because you are paid 120,000 pounds-a-week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham, you think you are a superstar." -- Keane's reported comments on team-mate Rio Ferdinand during an interview with MUTV.

Ferdinand was one of at least five United players slated by Keane in the never-to-be-broadcast recording, which preceded his departure from Old Trafford.

Attention to detail

"Alfie was taking the piss. I'd waited long enough. I fxxxing hit him hard. The ball was there (I think)." -- Keane describes how he exacted revenge on Manchester City's Alf Inge Haaland during a match in 2001.

Keane had suffered a serious knee injury three years earlier when, by his own admission, he had been trying to foul Haaland.

Creativity

"Away from home our fans are fantastic, I'd call them the hardcore fans. But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch." -- Roy introduces the concept of the "prawn sandwich brigade" to football's lexicon.

Courage

"Why didn't you go without us. I didn't ask you to wait, did I?" -- A 20-year-old Keane stands up to (huge and combustible) former Ireland manager Jack Charlton after keeping the team-bus waiting for his return from a night on the tiles.

Anticipation

"There are a lot of cover-ups sometimes and players need to stand up and be counted ... we're going to find it hard to win the league and if we end up with no trophies there's something wrong," Keane's first major rant at his United team-mates precedes silverware-free end to the 2001-02 season.

"We have one or two young players who have done very little in the game. They need to remember that and not slack off. They need to remember just how lucky we all are to play for Manchester United and show that out on the pitch," another outburst points to Arsenal winning the title in 2004.

"I'd like to play on for another year or two but I don't think it will be at United," Keane, speaking in September 2005, gets it right again.